According to Sky Sports in Italy, Newcastle have received interest from Empoli over a deal for wantaway winger Ryan Fraser.
The former Bournemouth star has been banished from first-team training for over six months now, seeing him train with our U21s following a suspected fall out with Eddie Howe.
Sky Italy report that Empoli are keen to sign him on loan and are willing to pay 50% of his wages. He currently takes home around £75,000 per-week, meaning Newcastle would still have to fork out in excess of £35,000 each week.
It’s also claimed that the Serie A side have asked for a ‘free loan’, meaning they’d pay no fee to take him on a temporary move. This combine with the 50% wage contribution may not appeal to Newcastle – who are looking to sell for good – but it could be our best option if no better offers arrive before next Friday’s 11pm deadline.
That said, it remains to be seen if the player himself would accept a temporary move to Italy. Fraser received interest from Norwich earlier in the window and has also been linked with Celtic over the past week.
