Rafa Benitez will be exploring every option in the quest to improve his Newcastle squad this summer – and the free agent market could yield a few cost-effective additions for the United boss.
There are a host of Premier League players whose contracts are scheduled to expire on 1st July and a select few may be of interest to Benitez, depending on the division Newcastle are competing in next season with Premier League not formally assured as of yet.
Benitez will hope to conclude his recruitment business early this year after failing to secure his priority targets in 2017, with the World Cup in Russia and a shortened transfer window that closes before the season begins expected to result in a flurry of business and inflated price-tags.
Delving into the bargain bin is something Benitez would be loathe to do, but Newcastle have been down this road before and will point to the impact that Demba Ba had in the 18-months he spent in a black and white shirt.
And, truth be told, there are some quality players set to become available that could fill a few gaps in the United squad and allow Benitez to stretch the budget he will be handed by Mike Ashley even further.
