OPINION
Newcastle United fans know all about having their hopes of a transfer dashed by a top flight rival, with a number of moves which have failed to come off only to see someone else seal a deal.
From Arsenal managing to snap up Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Tottenham managing to seal a deal for Dele Alli, there is a serious case of what might have been at St James’ Park – something which the club could well rectify in the current window.
Turkish outlet DHA claimed back in November 2017, ahead of the January transfer window in 2018, that the Magpies had tabled a bid for then-Besiktas hitman Cenk Tosun, a swap offer including Aleksandar Mitrovic which was turned down by the Super Lig side.
While the Magpies did miss out, the Turkey international did end up making the move to England – Everton snapping him up in another example of a rival trumping the north east side.
However his time at Goodison Park has not gone as expected and after seven goals in 29 Premier League appearances it seems as though his future might well lie away from Merseyside, Fanatik claiming Fenerbahce are set for talks with the 27-year-old.
The same report states that Tosun is not keen on a move back to Turkey and instead wants to continue his career in England – giving Newcastle the perfect opportunity to secure the signing of someone Rafael Benitez was obviously keen on bringing to Tyneside a year ago.
He might not have hit the ground running but at Newcastle he can reignite his Premier League career and make a name for himself and with Everton likely wanting to cut their losses, a cut price move could well be on the cards.
Benitez tried once and failed for Tosun, but he might finally get what he wants this January.