Having burnt through the entire month of January without signing a forward, Newcastle United are rolling the dice a final time for the signature of Leicester City striker, Islam Slimani. No words have come out from either of the club ranks over the transfer approach but the deal looks close now that the end of the transfer window is near and Rafael Benitez is left with no other option.
The Spaniard’s alternate target, Nicolai Jorgensen started for Feyenoord in their match against Den Haag a couple of days back and is yet to be seen in Tyneside for his medical.
Slimani arrived at the King Power Stadium in the summer of 2016 for a staggering £30m fee from Sporting CP. The price was well justified at the time with the Algerian netting an impressive 31 goals in 46 appearances in the 2015/16 season.
Leicester were just fresh off of a Premier League title win and were financially bolstered to chase such big-money targets. Their star striker, Jamie Vardy was heavily linked to many clubs and was on the verge of leaving the Foxes. Slimani was brought in to replace him in order to continue their outstanding display in top-flight football.
However, ever since his arrival, the 29-year-old has failed to find regular game time. He has registered only 419 minutes under Claude Puel this season and is ready to play regularly for a different side.
Newcastle United’s return to top-flight English football has not gone exactly the way they had expected it to. They have matched points with Stoke City in the bottom three and are held off the relegation zone solely by goal difference. Club owner, Mike Ashley is yet to provide Benitez with the funds to make further additions and this has placed the Magpies in a tight spot ahead of a gruelling relegation battle.
Dwight Gayle finished last season with a remarkable 23-goal tally but has just managed 3 so far this season. Far from ideal for a starting forward with supporting presence next to him – Joselu. Aleksandar Mitrovic is no longer considered for selection as he is in the middle of making a possible exit from Saint James’ Park.
Slimani can perform the role of a traditional number nine, which is lacking in the Newcastle squad. Gayle and Joselu are versatile forwards and can be fielded alongside the Algerian in the final third. Leicester City are well poised to finish in the 7th spot of the Premier League this season and can afford to offload Slimani for the remainder of the season at least.
