Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has refused to rule out a return for loan signing Kenedy this summer despite Chelsea’s £30million asking price.
The Magpies snapped up the Brazilian winger for a second stint at St James’ Park last summer, having impressed during his half season on Tyneside from January 2018 until the end of the season.
However his campaign did not go to plan and he looked a shadow of his former self, struggling for form and confidence as he lost his place in the starting XI.
Benitez has insisted there is the potential for a very good player in the 23-year-old and did not write off him coming back to St James’ Park from their Premier League rivals.
He told the Chronicle: “I think it’s because he did so well in his first season, we were expecting, and myself, that he’d play at the same level. For different reasons he did not play at the same level. He knows that.
“We had a lot of conversations about that. It is a pity because he has all the potential to be a very good player.
“Now he will go back to Chelsea and we will see what is going on with him. But it’ll be very difficult to talk about him. They want £30million for him so it makes no sense to have a debate. He’ll go back and we’ll see what happens.”
Opinion
Chelsea would be lucky to get half of their £30million asking price for Kenedy after such a disappointing campaign and perhaps that could work in Newcastle’s favour. Yes, he did not live up to expectations this season but at the same time everyone on Tyneside knows what he can do, having got the Toon Army out of their seats with his explosive form during his first loan spell at the club. If he can rediscover that sort of form, Newcastle would snap the Blues’ hand off for his capture – but it remains to be seen whether he can regain enough confidence to become the same swashbuckling winger he has promised to be. Right now he is a Chelsea player and unless they slash their demands for his signing he will remain at Stamford Bridge for next season – no one is going to pay £30million for a winger who failed to maintain a spot at a Newcastle side who were once struggling at the bottom of the Premier League table.