Newcastle United are lining up a move for Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala before the transfer window comes to a close at the end of this month. According to recent reports in the English media, the Magpies boss Rafael Benitez is willing to take Mangala on a loan deal with the transfer deadline fast approaching. Some sources coming out of Tyneside have recently reported that an approach has been made for the French defender Eliaquim Mangala on a temporary basis.
The centre-back arrived from FC Porto for a reported fee of £35m in the summer of 2014. However, the French international has struggled at Manchester and featured sporadically for City for two seasons before going out on loan in the last campaign to Valencia. With the new arrival of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao earlier this month, it is being reported that Mangala has been asked to find another club on loan for the remainder of the campaign. It is highly likely that he might be told to leave the club permanently in the summer.
The Magpies are in dire need of a new goalscorer after their strikers have failed to perform consistently this season. The Tyneside outfit recently missed out on Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge after the striker chose to join West Bromwich Albion recently but they can still bring in one more player on loan in this transfer window with all hopes on a possible loan move for Mangala before the end of this month.
Newcastle United are currently in 15th place in the Premier League table with a tally of 23 points in 24 league matches. Benitez’s side are just a point above the drop zone and are in real danger of suffering the agony of being relegated to the Skybet Championship at the end of the season. They need to pick up some favourable results in the coming weeks to try and avoid getting themselves involved in a relegation dogfight going into the second half of the campaign.
The addition of Mangala will undoubtedly bolster Benitez’s defensive options at St. James Park and can go a long way in helping them avoid the drop this term.
Mangala has a wealth of experience playing for top clubs in Portugal, Spain, Belgium and England. He has made 15 appearances for City this season in all competitions and will definitely be a huge asset for the Magpies if Benitez can pull off a deal in the near future.
