Although, we are a bit late on the news how many of you have heard this one? Newcastle United had reportedly rejected a bid from Paris Saint-Germain for Aleksandar Mitrovic. The French giants were very keen to bring the player at Parc des Princes in January but it must have been our very own Fat Mike who turned down the deal.
Mitrovic has been playing the second fiddle to Dwight Gayle all season. He was a much-hyped transfer when he joined the Magpies from Anderlecht for £15m and despite him finding the net nine times in his debut season, he couldn’t save his team from relegation.
The 22-year-old has made just seven starts in the Championship as Rafa Benitez has been using Dwight Gayle upfront. But with Gayle out for a significant period, Mitrovic needs to step up big league (to steal a phrase from the 45th president of the USA). The Toons are currently sitting just second in the table and have a number of tough fixtures ahead including Huddersfield and Brighton.
There are still 39 points up for grabs and anything can happen. The Serbian striker had been linked with a number of clubs with the likes of Swansea and Napoli showing interest but the Magpies managed to keep a hold on him. A favourite among the fans, the Serbian could have left the club after the relegation but the striker remained at the club and now Benitez has to rely on him a lot to deliver results.
A number of notable names left the club including Moussa Sissoko and Georginio Wijnaldum but the Serbian has been trying to get his team back to the Premier League and has four goals and three assists in his tally for this season.
Newcastle United are edging closer towards a promotion to the English top flight and Mitrovic’s role will be crucial to that front. He will likely to take advantage of Gayle’s absence and will try hard to establish himself as Benitez’s first choice striker. He earlier admitted that he felt the Toons got relegated for him and he will try his best to get them back to the Premier league as soon as possible.
