Newcastle United’s chase of Karl Toko Ekambi could well be over with Spanish outfit Villareal set to fight for his signature. As per reports, they are set to offer €16m for the 25-year-old forward, who is currently plying his trade at Angers. This would mean that the player’s value is likely to go up and that could prove to be a deal breaker for Newcastle who are likely to have a budget constraint.
Hence they might have to turn to other players and here are three options they can consider.
Daniel Sturridge
The striker has played for the biggest clubs in England but now finds himself loaned out of Liverpool and struggling to find some form. A promising career that began rather rapidly has spiralled down into a disappointing story as Daniel Sturridge is no longer the player he was.
Repeated injuries have forced the Englishman to slow down over the years. Even though he is still 28 year old and has the potential to improve once again, Sturridge’s concurrent injuries have forced him to lose his pace, agility and fitness. However, for Newcastle United, who are unlikely to have a large fund to bring in players, Sturridge could turn out to be a game changer if they manage to sign him.
Tammy Abraham
The Chelsea forward is currently out on loan at Swansea City and has shown his potential of playing as a first choice striker for a comparatively smaller club. He is still very young and has a long way to go in his career. Another loan move to a club like Newcastle, where he is likely to get a lot more game time, will do him a world of good and it will also help the club get a good player on board, albeit on loan.
Moreover, for Newcastle, they will also be saving up a lot of money on transfers if they can get the English youngster on loan, something Chelsea is unlikely to oppose given their fascination of loaning out youngsters.
Wayne Rooney
A rather tricky choice to make but it will hand out excellent dividends should it pay off. The veteran English forward is past his prime but could potentially have a lot to offer if he were to find the right club. Clearly, the move to Merseyside has failed to revive his career and it could see Rooney move on once again this summer.
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He also has the versatility to play in multiple positions like central midfield, playmaker, winger and striker. This would do Benitez a world of good to get a player who can plug multiple holes in the squad.
