Report reveals 6 senior players Rafa Benitez will 'transfer list' if he stays at NUFC
According to the Chronicle, Dwight Gayle, Jack Colback, Rob Elliot, Rolando Aarons, Achraf Lazaar and Henri Saivet will be 'transfer-listed' by Rafa Benitez should he sign a new deal this summer.
This comes from their piece reporting on Jack Colback's potential permanent move to Nottingham Forest, with it being claimed in the East-Midlands that Martin O'neill plans to sign the 29-year-old midfielder permanently - a deal that could 'kick start' a clear out on Tyneside.
As revealed below, Colback won't be the only senior player to be shipped out over the coming months if Rafa Benitez does agree to a new contract, with FIVE other NUFC outcasts named:
'Newcastle United will welcome offers for Jack Colback this summer - with the Magpies keen to offload some of their high earners in order to help facilitate a summer rebuild.
'For Newcastle , offloading a high earner who has no first-team future under the current manager is a priority for the summer window - and the likes of Henri Saivet, Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons will also be made available for transfer.
'Rob Elliot has also been transfer-listed by Benitez - though the goalkeeper would prefer to stay on Tyneside - and Dwight Gayle will also be offered around after another impressive goal-scoring campaign in the second tier.'
Colback's exit seems imminent, while permanent moves away for Elliot, Aarons, Lazaar and Saivet have been on the cards for some time given how little they've been involved in Benitez's plans over the past two seasons.
The same could not be said about Dwight Gayle, however. He's on 23 goals for the season after an impressive loan spell at West Brom, so while you'd expect him to have several suitors in the second tier, some may have expected him to return and fight for his place.
That said, if the 28-year-old could be used as bait in a deal that would see Salomon Rondon sign permanently, I don't think many would complain.
