West Brom will demand £16million from Newcastle United to make Salomon Rondon’s move to Tyneside permanent in the summer, according to the Northern Echo.
It is understood that the Baggies rejected the Toon Army’s attempts to strike a deal for the Venezuelan in January in the hopes sparking a bidding war for his services at the end of the season.
The report also states that Albion would be willing to take Dwight Gayle in part exchange for the 29-year-old, but do not value the on loan Magpies striker as highly as Rondon and would demand a player plus cash deal.
Good move for Newcastle?
Yes. Rondon has been the central figure in their survival push this season, and without his goals and all round interventions, it’s hard to imagine where abouts they would be in the league table.
Certainly, they would be in even more trouble than they already are, and the club need to prioritise making his signature permanent in the summer.
A price of £16million is a lot, but if they can offload Dwight Gayle in the process, it could lower that initial asking price to a much more palatable figure.
This is Futbol rating: 9/10
Likely to happen?
A lot of it depends on how far they can drive that initial asking price down. The chances of Mike Ashley spending £16million on a player who will, at that stage, be 30, are slim, especially when he has just spent big on bringing in Miguel Almiron.
If he can half that, however, or perhaps even take £10million off of it, then the wheels might start turning, but never ever underestimate Mike Ashley’s ability to disappoint Newcastle fans.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10