Newcastle United are looking to rival Watford for the signature of Islam Slimani in the January transfer window. The out of favour striker currently plays for Leicester City but that might change in the following weeks.
Slimani arrived at the King Power Stadium in the summer of 2016 for a staggering £30m fee from Sporting CP. The price was well justified at the time with the Algerian netting an impressive 31 goals in 46 appearances in the 2015/16 season.
Leicester were just fresh off of a Premier League title win and were financially bolstered to chase such big-money targets. Their star striker, Jamie Vardy was heavily linked to many clubs and was on the verge of leaving the foxes. Slimani was brought in to replace him in order to continue their outstanding display in top-flight football.
However, ever since his arrival, the 29-year-old has failed to find the regular game time. He has so far registered only 419 minutes of game time under Claude Puel this season and is ready to play regularly for a different side.
Watford were the first parties to inquire about Slimani ahead of the January transfer window. Marco Silva’s men have cemented themselves in the mid-table positions of the league table with an impressive start to the 2017/18 season. However, the Hornets have fallen out of their way in recent weeks registering just one win in the month of December.
Holding midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure is their top scorer in the league this season and that might just tell you all you need to know about their scoring problems.
Silva needs a proven goal scorer to lead the attacking lineup in the second half of their season and return to a European qualification spot contention against Burnley.
However, Rafael Benitez is also scavenging the transfer market for quality additions he can make in the short transfer period. The return to top-flight English has not gone quite like the Newcastle fans expected it would.
The Magpies are just a point above the bottom three and are likely to be drawn into a relegation battle by the end of the season. Club owner, Mike Ashley is reluctant to provide a generous transfer budget for Benitez to utilize in this window.
Therefore, a short-term loan spell is more suited for the services of Slimani with a buy-back option.
Slimani can perform the role of a traditional number nine which is lacking in the Newcastle squad. Dwight Gayle and Joselu are versatile forwards and can be fielded alongside the Algerian in the final third.
With both managers hot on his heels, the coming weeks might reveal who Slimani chooses to side with.
