Newcastle United are reportedly in hot pursuit of Liga NOS’ star midfielder Andreas Samaris as Rafael Benitez continues his transfer activities.
The Greek international has been one of the less regular players for Benfica last season despite showing sparks of brilliance in the midfield and the Magpies are desperate to add more quality in their spine following their promotion to the Premier League.
Transfer period hasn’t been the same for Benitez this summer, following a relatively luxurious one last season when he picked up his targets easily with little hindrance.
The Spaniard had wasted no time in building the squad with the perfect blend of youth and experience of both the leagues, which would go on to win the Championship later.
This time, however, neither do the Toon remain the strongest financially nor are they the biggest club in the league. In the last two months since the Championship ended, La Liga side Eibar’s Florian Lejeune remains his only major buy for £8.7 million.
Apart from him, he has managed to get in Arsenal’s Stefan O’Connor and Everton’s Josef Yarney, with a strong focus on his defence.
A move for Samaris refocuses on the most important area of the side, midfield. In the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden, Jack Colback and more, Benitez does have some disciplined and hard-working box-to-box midfielders but he is in dire need of the technical superiority of Samaris, who can unlock the toughest of defences.
At 28, he is at the peak of his abilities and would offer his best football for the next three years at least, which interests Benitez the most. And if reports are to be believed then the boss has been in talks of a £17.5m deal for the midfielder.
However, as is always the case with Portuguese sides, who are notorious for their negotiation, the side has turned down the €20 million offer from Newcastle following a bid by Everton (€16 million), which saw the same outcome. Newcastle will have competition in the likes of Manchester United too, who have previously shown interest in the player but were put off by Benfica’s asking price.
Samaris has managed just 18 appearances last season, where he could register just one assist. Since moving to Portugal from Greek side Olympiakos, the player has only seen his chances drying up with every passing season, and he has failed to impress anyway. In 110 games for Benfica, he could only score two goals and assist seven times.
With Huddersfield Town on a spending spree, Newcastle are pretty much aware of the challenge they have to face when they head on to the next season.
