According to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, Rafa Benitez is interested in signing Roma forward Gregoire Defrel – with him also eyeing a loan deal for PSG left-back Stanley N’Soki.
This is not the first time we’ve read reports claiming Rafa has interest in signing these two, with it being well documented over the summer that N’Soki was someone Benitez was pushing to sign.
Defrel, 27, has been on loan with Serie A side Sampdoria over the first half of the season – scoring 7 goals in the process – and it seems Roma look set to move him on once again this month.
Here’s a snippet from Sky Sports’ latest piece on our transfer situation as we head into the final two weeks of the window:
‘PSG left-back Stanley N’Soki is a player he has a long-standing interest in and could be available on loan.
‘So too Roma forward Gregoire Defrel, who Sky in Italy tell us Benitez has interest in. Defrel spent the first half of the season on- oan at Sampdoria but would appear surplus to requirements since the arrival of Manolo Gabbiadini.’
Versatile forward Defrel has struggled after making a big money move to Roma, however he has often done well whenever they’ve loaned him out, with 7 goals in half a season at Sampdoria and 16 goals and 5 assists the season before last during a spell with Sassuolo.
N’Soki is one for the future at PSG, having recently signed a new long-term contract, but his arrival on loan would give us some much needed drive from left-back; giving us a different option to Dummett and a player who could fit perfectly into the five at the back system Rafa has been using of late.
One issue is just how we’d get both deals done. Any move for N’Soki would be a temporary move at best, meaning Defrel could only then be signed permanently – with us having just one European loan deal available to use this month.
Here’s Defrel in action:
Interested in. I have lost count of the number of ‘interested in’ players we never sign. Day by day it is increasingly unlikely we will sign anyone of real significance, or anybody.
Leckworth(Quote)