Juventus have reportedly turned down Leicester City’s offer for the out-of-favour midfielder, Stefano Sturaro, in the process, opening up the path for Newcastle United. Rafael Benitez is looking to provide the 25-year-old an escape from Turin but might not have the financial backing to meet the Serie A outfits’ €20m asking price.
The Magpies boss has been left frustrated over the miserly ways of Mike Ashley. Not only has the United owner refused to provide the Spaniard with the funds to pursue the necessary talents, he even considered selling the club earlier on in the 2017/18 campaign.
Newcastle are no better off than they were in the last term with all their loan signings other than Martin Dubravka returning to their respective sides. Now Benitez has to sweat over the possible departure of Mikel Merino to the La Liga this summer.
The midfielder is very close to securing a move back to his home country which will leave the Tyneside outfit heavily depleted in the midfield position. Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame have cemented starting places under Benitez but the duo cannot be relied on throughout an entire season.
The very reason Benitez was looking for more additions is to improve upon the club’s positioning in the Premier League. After earning back promotion to the top-flight, the club was in a difficult spot early last season. Through the manager’s tactical expertise, the Magpies finished the campaign in the 10th spot in the English top-flight. However, similar results will be hard to deliver without the required squad depth.
Sturaro is a very underrated talent in the Serie A who is simply wishing away his days with Juventus. He got to feature in just 983 minutes under Massimiliano Allegri last term, appearing in just 19 games.
At 25, he still has time to resurrect his career and make a real case for international selection. With four caps to his name for Italy, Sturaro has failed to uphold all the promise he showed early on in his playing career.
The Genoa academy product is defensively astute but also can be creative in the offensive end. His contract is set to run for another three seasons, which has led to his price skyrocket in the present market. But he will not only be a perfect bit into Benitez’s defensive system, the midfielder will give Jonjo Shelvey the peace of mind to surge forward and be more effective in a game.
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The Magpies fans should be overjoyed to see the highly rated central midfielder make his way over to the St James’ Park. But do you think they can pull it off?
