OPINION
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is reportedly set to hand manager Rafael Benitez a £50million transfer kitty in the summer and the club need to bring in a marquee signing regardless of the funds available.
The Daily Mail reports that Ashley will hand him the eight-figure sum for spending and that fee could rise to £70million depending on sales.
It is understood that it’s likely to be enough to keep Benitez on Tyneside for another year, but he wants to have control of the finances instead of managing director Lee Charnley.
Newcastle need to bring in one high-profile addition ahead of next year and one man that should be prioritised is Norwich City’s James Maddison.
The Chronicle reports that the 21-year-old Championship sensation is a player that Benitez likes and that is why the club should go all out to bring him to St James’ Park.
The Mirror has previously reported that he is a £25million-rated player that is being monitored by Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton, Brighton and Southampton.
However, Newcastle should not be deterred and look to offer him a first-team role with them.
They managed to sign Jacob Murphy from Norwich last summer and should open up discussions with the Championship outfit about another player.
Maddison is a genius playmaker that is deployed as an attacking midfielder and has lit up St James’ Park this campaign.
He has 15 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season for Norwich, which is why he is such a highly-rated youngster being tipped for huge success.
The England Under-21 international could add a serious goal threat if he was in the Newcastle ranks next season and the club should try to invest in him.
