Newcastle United could be in the driving seat to seal a permanent deal for West Brom forward Salomon Rondon next year once his on loan at St James’ Park expires, according to the Newcastle Chronicle.
The newspaper claims that while the Magpies have no option to turn Rondon’s temporary stay into a permanent one at this stage, the 29-year-old wants to agree a switch to St James’ Park in 2019.
It is understood that if West Brom fail to win promotion back to the Premier League this season then there are doubts over whether they could afford to keep hold of him, especially as according to statistics website Spotrac, the Venezuela international earns £60,000-a-week.
The Chronicle adds that no negotiations have been held between the Magpies and the Black Country club over a future fee.
OPINION
It is way too soon for Newcastle to decide on whether or not they want to keep Rondon. In the summer, it was reported that the had a £16.5million release clause and if he performs well between now and the rest of the season then West Brom are bound to want a higher fee than that because that is what they can demand. Everyone is raving about the Venezuelan target man right now because he scored two goals in the win against Bournemouth on Saturday but it is important that they were his first league goals of the season and he has had some worrying issues with fitness and injuries. West Brom fans will tell the Toon Army that Rondon’s goals come few and far between, so do not expect the former Zenit striker to continue this form after the international break because he is bound to go quiet again soon.