According to France Football, PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has held ‘multiple meetings’ with Rafa Benitez ahead of a possible summer move to Newcastle – a deal which makes little sense to us given Benitez’s limited transfer budget.
The 25-year-old stopper is currently away with France at the World Cup, however his future at PSG is up in the air, with new boss Thomas Tuchel looking all set to bring in his own number one.
This will see Areola drop down the pecking order with the French champions, and although his name has been regularly linked with NUFC over the past year, it’s a deal that doesn’t add up.
France Football claim that we are ‘ready to pay €15-20m’ for him. I’m sure Benitez is an admirer, with his name having come up several times during our search for a new number one, but I don’t see why we’d spend £13m plus on ANOTHER goalkeeper when we already have a very capable one in Martin Dubravka?
France Football believe Newcastle United remain interested in Areola and would be prepared to pay €15-20m, despite already securing Dubravka. https://t.co/uJ4QGYom0g #nufc pic.twitter.com/oQKEIPNmRR
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) June 19, 2018
If we had a huge budget then fine, maybe Rafa wants rid of Darlow and Elliot and wants Areola and Dubravka to battle it out for the number one jersey, but he doesn’t.
When a new striker is essential (and likely to be very expensive) and any permanent deal for Kenedy likely to break our transfer budget, I have no idea how Benitez could justify spending so much on a goalkeeper – even if this link isn’t going way.
