Newcastle United have made some positive progress in the transfer market so far ahead of the new season with the signatures of both Kenedy and Martin Dubravka secured, but it appears their next move will involve a high-profile sale.
The deal in question is, of course, that of Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham. According to the London Evening Standard, the Cottagers are edging closer to confirming a deal for the Serbia international for £20 million following a mightily impressive loan spell with the club last season.
Naturally, the transfer will arrive as a disappointment to Newcastle supporters who never saw Mitrovic in full flow. Indeed, the club could be made to regret their decision to sell if he manages to emulate his Championship form in the top-flight next season.
But for a club who are notoriously strapped for cash, £20 million could help the Magpies to make at least one and possibly two game-changing signings ahead of the new season.
The obvious place to start recruiting new talent would be in attacking positions, as the likes of Dwight Gayle and Joselu struggled to impress at the spearhead of the attack last season.
And with doubts lingering over Matt Ritchie’s future, Newcastle’s front line could be an entirely different prospect altogether next season.
The arrival of Kenedy has already put Newcastle in a promising position to retain their Premier League status once again next season, but the club cannot continue to rely on the Brazilian to provide the majority of their attacking spark in the final-third.
With that in mind, here’s what Newcastle’s front-three could look like when the season gets underway in August…
With Matt Ritchie potentially on his way out of the club, Benitez could use the accumulated funds to secure an unlikely reunion with Jose Callejon.
The Spanish pairing worked alongside each other during Benitez’s stint at Napoli, and the appeal of reuniting with his compatriot should hold a significant weight of appeal for the versatile winger.
At 31-years-of-age Callejon is certainly no spring chicken, but he is a player who has never relied on pace to enjoy success in the final-third; his technical qualities have been the cornerstone of his career so far.
Callejon has never tested himself in the Premier League and, with time running out at the top level, he could be tempted to embark on a move to St James’ Park this summer.
Benitez simply must sign a new centre-forward this summer to replace Dwight Gayle who was only able to muster up 6 goals last season, and Danny Ings could well be the man to get on the end of Callejon’s dangerous through-balls and crosses into the box.
Ings’ career has taken something of a dramatic nosedive since he swapped Burnley for Liverpool in 2015 due to his desperately unlucky record with serious injuries.
But there’s no doubt that Ings possesses a poachers instinct in the penalty area which is inherited rather than taught, so the 25-year-old should have no problem in rediscovering his goal-scoring touch once he has built up his match-fitness once again.
With Firmino and Solanke ahead of him in the pecking order at Anfield it seems unlikely that he will be able to break into the first-team, so a loan deal would be beneficial for all parties concerned, especially cash-strapped Newcastle.
Finally, Kenedy wraps up the front-three in a left-wing role which he convincingly made his own last season.
Newcastle have done brilliantly well to secure his signature for another season, but the supporters would be well within their rights to question why he hasn’t been signed on a permanent basis.
On the evidence of the quality of Kenedy’s form last season in what represented his first proper experience of Premier League football, it’s fair to say that the best is yet to come from the Brazilian.
