OPINION
Rafa Benitez must offload three of his senior Newcastle midfielders in order to make room for Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris.
The Mirror claims the Toon are closing in on a move worth £17.5million for the 28-year-old star, after working on a deal to sign the 28-time Greece international for the past six weeks.
It is believed that the midfielder is keen on a switch to England despite having two years still to run on his contract with the Portuguese champions.
Samaris would arrive at St. James’ Park as Benitez’s second signing of the summer transfer window, after confirming a deal to sign Ghana international Christian Atsu on a permanent basis from Premier League champions Chelsea.
However, This Is Futbol believes the signing of Samaris would overcrowd the Toon squad and that Benitez should offload three midfielders in order to make way for the powerful Benfica midfielder.
Here are those three midfielders, including a 19-time international that failed to make a single appearances for the Toon last season: