Agent confirms NUFC’s interest in 17-goal striker – & drops clear Rafa Benitez hint

The agent of Newcastle-linked striker Wesley Moraes has confirmed that we are one of the clubs trying to sign the Brazilian this summer.

Interestingly, he states that a ‘conversation’ has already been had about a potential deal for the Club Brugge star, but he hints that the future of Rafa Benitez could be key.

Here’s what Paulo Nehmy told the Laziali, confirming that we are ‘in the running’ to sign the 6ft 3′ striker this summer:

“What about Newcastle? Are they in the running? Yes, it’s true too, we already had a conversation.

“But, Rafa Benitez needs to renew his contract..”

Nehmy also confirmed that both Lazio and West Ham had shown interest, showing once again just how important it is that we get Rafa’s contract sorted out. Failure to do so and we’ll be scuppering what is another crucial summer transfer window for the club – whether Benitez stays or not.

According to reports in Italy, Club Brugge have set an asking price of around £17m-£19m for ‘Wesley’.

The Chronicle – and now the player’s agent – have confirmed that we hold an interest Brazilian striker, and this seems like a price-tag even Mike Ashley may be willing to pay for a highly-rated 22-year-old.

That said, Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport have suggested that the 6ft 3′ forward prefers a move to Lazio – despite alleged approaches from both ourselves and West Ham.

This seems a little hard to believe however, with Wesley himself stating that a move to the Premier League was his ‘preference’ earlier this month:

“I have a preference for the Premier League, but we’ll see what happens.

“I have to give it a go.”

So, the ‘good news’ (potentially) is that Brugge’s asking price may be reasonable for a young striker with high potential on the back of a 17-goal, 10 assist season. It seems like a fee we’d be willing to pay given Ashley spent £21m on a slightly older Miguel Almiron – a player who was also highly-rated but not yet proven in one of Europe’s top leagues. It’s also interesting to hear his agent confirm our interest – however he seems to suggest that it may rely on Rafa signing a new deal.

The bad news is that it’s been claimed he prefers a move to Italy over Newcastle – however his most recent comments saw him describe the Premier League as a dream move, so we can take that with a pinch of salt.

Any transfer rumours can only mean so much at this stage, with Rafa’s future not yet sorted, but Wesley’s situation feels like one to watch given he fits into Ashley’s transfer policy and is someone we’re said to have scouted on several occasions.

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