OPINION
Newcastle United fans will surely rage after reports have revealed the potential money the club could be set to miss out on from the sale of striker Joselu.
An earlier report by AS claimed that the Magpies are set to offload the 29-year-old to La Liga side Alaves this summer, with Marca now claiming that Rafael Benitez’s side will claim £1.7million from the sale.
Another report by the Newcastle Chronicle claims that had Newcastle offloaded the Spaniard in the January transfer window, they would have claimed £10million for a deal.
This news is surely going to annoy Newcastle fans. If the reported takeover of the club by the Bin Zayed Group does not go ahead, then the Magpies will remain a club that are strapped for cash and will have very limited funds in the summer transfer window.
Besides that, a big part of Newcastle’s ethos is to make money from player sales, and if the respective report from Marca and the Chronicle are true, then the club have missed out on a fantastic opportunity to get a head start.
It is not even as if there was an argument for Benitez keeping Joselu around – an argument that the club might have needed him in the second half of the season.
The striker only made 16 Premier League appearances – 20 in all competitions – and overall, he only scored three goals and set up one other.
If the Chronicle’s report is true – Newcastle could easily – and definitely should have – offloaded him, as they could now lose out on £8.3million.
On the face of it, £8.3million is a big amount of money for Newcastle, given that the highest amount they have ever spent on a player is £24million.
Newcastle fans will be fuming at these reports and they have every right to be. The Magpies have surely missed out on a great piece of business if both claims are true.