Scouts In Attendance have confirmed that Newcastle United had club officials present at Benfica’s Champions League group stage clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.
This comes after the Chronicle reported just last week that head scout Steve Nickson was stepping up our search for new recruits ahead of the January window, with a winger said to be our top priority.
As a result, we wonder if Newcastle scouts were watching Rafa Silva – the Benfica wide man whose agent claimed we were interested in signing him just a few months ago.
It would be an ambitious target, but Silva’s agent, Antonio Araujo, is quoted saying the following back in May:
“They (Newcastle) are one of those interested.
“Whatever happens, will happen.”
The winger bagged an assist last night, but couldn’t stop Benfica from starting their UCL campaign with a defeat, with two goals from Timo Werner helping RB Leipzig come away 2-1 winners in Portugal.
There may be nothing in this, but given we’re keen to sign another winger and showed interest in signing him over the summer, it sounds like he may just have been the man we were watching on Tuesday night.
I’m a Benfica fan (as well as a toon’s) and he’s never be available for less than €40M. He didn’t start on Tuesday as he was a little jaded but he’s absolutely our first choice for left wing.
Luís Roma Pires(Quote)