OPINION
Italian outfit Cagliari have reportedly make an approach to Newcastle for young striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Sky Sports north east reporter Keith Downie claimed via his personal Twitter account on Thursday afternoon that Sky Italy had claimed the Serie A side had made a move for the Magpies’ 22-year-old.
Mitrovic has three years remaining on his contract at St. James’ Park, but has made just the single EFL Cup appearance i each of the north east giants’ opening matches of the 2017-18 campaign.
Here, This Is Futbol weighs up whether allowing Mitrovic to leave will be a good move for Newcastle and whether it is likely to happen.
Good move for Newcastle?
Mitroivic is currently behind both Dwight Gayle and new signing Joselu in the Newcastle striker pecking order and it doesn’t look like he’ll see much game time now after Wednesday evening’s shock cup defeat against Nottingham Forest.
Additionally, the Magpies reportedly need to raise funds and let go of a few of their players in order to bring some more new signings in before next Thursday’s transfer deadline.
Now, Mitrovic has struggled at Newcastle since making the switch from Anderlecht in the summer 2015 for a fee of £13million, returning just 16 goals in 66 appearances in all competitions.
However, he is still one of the few saleable assets at the club and he is likely to command a good fee despite not being considered a part of the first team and therefore Newcastle should certainly consider Cagliari’s approach.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10.
Likely to happen?
As mentioned Newcastle reportedly have to sell a few before bringing more in and Mitrovic could be one of the names that Rafa Benitez looks to sell.
The forward is unlikely to see too much game time at the Magpies this season and if a suitable offer is made for him then it is expected that the north east giants will certainly consider it due to budget constraints.
However, one drawback could be that Cagliari simply don’t have the money needed to bring in players from the Premier League given the current fees being thrown around in football and especially in England.
Therefore, this deal is likely to depend on whether Cagliari make a bid that Newcastle deem acceptable.
This Is Futbol rating: 6/10.