Newcastle United are determined to find form in their return to the Premier League and are seeking significant additions before next week’s transfer deadline.
The Magpies made their first signing of the window yesterday after luring Brazilian starlet Kenedy on-loan from Chelsea until the remainder of the season but Rafael Benitez is still eyeing at least two more names this week.
Benitez is keen to add a new goalkeeper and a talented striker to his squad, after seeing his side score just 22 goals in 23 matches, and it seems that the club are ready to go all-out on the market in order to secure a player to bolster their lines.
The Daily Mirror claims the man being targeted in a club-record move is Leicester City’s Islam Slimani, with Newcastle ready to eclipse the £16m fee they paid Real Madrid for Michael Owen’s services 13 years ago.
Algerian international Slimani signed for the then Premier League champions in 2016 but has struggled to find consistency in English football, scoring just eight times in the league since his £29m move from Sporting Lisbon.
The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order this season, seeing Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki preferred in Claude Puel’s side, and an exit this week is likely for the striker.
