Five senior Newcastle United player are set to be sold this summer if Rafael Benitez remains as manager, according to the Chronicle.
The regional newspaper claim the Spaniard is eager to cash in on striker Joselu, 28, goalkeeper Rob Elliot, 32, winger Rolando Aarons, 23, left-back Achraf Lazaar, 27, and right-back Jamie Sterry, 23.
The Chronicle report Benitez’s future at St James’ Park remains up in the air and he is only likely to sign a new contract if he gets the green light to bring in four or five quality signings.
OPINION
There won’t be too many Newcastle fans refusing to buy 2019-20 season tickets if Benitez stays and then gets rid of Joselu, Elliot, Aarons, Lazaar and Sterry. Of that quintet, none have had distinguished seasons and all are either on the fringes of the Newcastle team – in the case of Joselu – or nowhere near it, in the cases of Elliot, Lazaar, Sterry and Aarons, who joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan in January. Joselu is the most high profile of them but he has been a disappointment since signing from Stoke City in the summer of 2017 and it is something of a surprise that the club didn’t cash in on him in January amid reported interest from a La Liga club. Salomon Rondon has showed in recent months exactly how a Premier League number nine should lead an attack, and Joselu’s lack of mobility means he is too easy to defend against. As for the others, they’re not good enough for a club of Newcastle’s stature and should be moved on.