According to the Birmingham Mail, West Brom have told Newcastle ‘ hurry up and make a decision’ over a £16.5m deal for Salomon Rondon.
They also reveal that Rondon and his family are now settled in Northumberland, with the striker ‘keen’ to sign permanently at St James’ Park – however those at the Hawthorns clearly want a quick resolution; and they’re not the only ones.
As you may have heard this week, the fact the Baggies lost their play-off semi final to Aston Villa means a £16.5m release clause has been reactivated in the Venezuelan’s contract.
This is good news for NUFC given he was said to demand a fee of £20-25m should they have gained promotion back to the top flight, but there won’t be a shortage of Premier League interest given he’s just come off the back of a 12 goal, 7 assist season.
That has already been made clear, with the Daily Mail claiming that Wolves are now ready to rival Rafa’s move for the striker, with clubs in Italy and Spain said to have also shown interest.
Interestingly the report also mentions that Newcastle could yet use a ‘£15m-rated’ Dwight Gayle as ‘bait’ in any deal to sign Rondon, although it may just make more sense to pay the £16.5m release clause and get this one done before someone beats us to it.
Rondon clearly wants to sign and Rafa will be desperate to keep him, but we can’t expect the Venezuelan to wait around forever – especially when he’s likely to receive several big offers this summer.
