OPINION
There have been few other Newcastle United players who have divided opinion quite like Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The Serbian powerhouse has been at St James’ Park since 2015 but has really failed to hit the heights expected following his arrival, performing adequately in the Premier League before struggling in the Championship under Rafael Benitez.
A return to the top flight did his career no favours and after a nightmare first half of the season, he headed out on loan to Fulham, where he hit the ground running and fired them back to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Now his future is up in the air.
He does not look like continuing his career on Tyneside, and with Newcastle needing to offload some players to boost their transfer budget for the summer, making the most of his exit is an absolute must.
As such, the latest report will be music to Benitez’s ears.
The Chronicle claim that Premier League rivals Crystal Palace have asked to be kept informed of the Serbian’s situation, following in Fulham’s footsteps, and with the sort of money top flight clubs in England can spend, having multiple clubs chase him is the perfect scenario for the Magpies.
Sending Mitrovic to a side playing in the same league might be considered a gamble, but considering how he performed at Newcastle, the club will be feeling they have nothing to fear.
If they can ignite a bidding war between the two London sides, then they will have no qualms about selling him off, and having two cash-laden sides in the hunt is exactly what the Magpies would have been hoping for.