According to reports, Newcastle United are now eying Real Madrid winger Lucas Vazquez this summer as Rafael Benitez continues his desperate search for more reinforcements on the flanks. The Spaniard can hardly expect a regular chance at Santiago Bernabeu next season with Gareth Bale fit and Zinedine Zidane chasing Kylian Mbappe and Benitez is eyeing a window of opportunity here.
The Mags have brought in five players this summer in the likes of Florian Lejeune, Jacob Murphy, Javier Manquillo, Mikel Merino and making Christian Atsu’ deal permanent from the Blues. And a closer look at the arrivals would reveal that hardly any of them were in the Spaniard’s top priority list.
Following the failure to land any of his preferred options, Newcastle have mostly gone for loanees and club rejects to strengthen their squad, which is quite a huge risk given their objective of survival next season. Despite being the title holders in the second-tier tournament last season and having a big reputation across Europe, the former Chelsea, Liverpool Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss has really failed to lure in players.
The departure of Yoan Gouffran and Vurnon Anita came as a surprise too as the players, who were instrumental in helping them dominate most part of the season, chose to have a step down rather than fight with them in the Premier League.
Newcastle United have hardly got someone who has the talent and quality to compete at the top level and Vazquez is most likely his last such pursuit. The right winger has been decent with Los Blancos in the past two seasons since returning from RCD Espanyol with a year gap. He has scored eight goals and provided an impressive 24 assists in 81 appearances over two seasons.
The injury to Gareth Bale had really been a boon for the likes of Vazquez and Marco Asensio, who have really taken the chance to prove their mettle. However, despite his impressive run, Bale would obviously remain Zidane’s main weapon when fit owing his outstanding abilities from the wide areas and if Real are really after Mbappe this summer then Vazquez would be further pushed down the pecking order.
The A Coruña-born player has been a brilliant backup for the Whites by all means and Zidane would love to keep the player as his reserve option. But, with World Cup knocking on the door, the 26-year-old would want more chances at the top level. He could manage just three caps for Spain since debuting in 2016, which reflects his desperation.
