Newcastle United are set to see Aleksandar Mitrovic leave the club permanently over the coming weeks after they agreed a fee with Fulham for his sale this summer, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper state that the Cottagers are prepared to smash their transfer record with a £20million swoop for the Serbian hitman, who netted 12 goals during a loan spell to help the London club return to the Premier League last season.
It is stated that Fulham are expecting to seal a deal once the 23-year-old, who stands at 6’1″ (source: Transfermarkt) returns from holiday following his World Cup exploits, and that the two clubs are now ironing out the final details of the deal, with a fee agreed in principle.
Opinion
Mitrovic never seemed to have a future under Rafael Benitez, with questions over his discipline and the manager’s ability to trust him leading the line for the Magpies. He certainly hit the ground running when he landed at Craven Cottage and they are hedging their bets on him replicating his form back in the Premier League. However, be it his talent or the way he was deployed while at St James’ Park, he never looked comfortable with the pace or physicality in England’s top flight, and that is why Newcastle are so willing to let him go. Are the Magpies about to sabotage their rivals’ hopes of survival by letting them splash out on Mitrovic’s capture? Potentially, but there is also every chance his exit will come back to bite Benitez and the rest of the doubters on Tyneside. He will have a point to prove after being unceremoniously dumped last season, and the Magpies better watch out when he returns to the club with Fulham.