OPINION
Rafa Benitez will be looking to strengthen his Newcastle United team in every area this summer as he attempts to transform them into a top-eight Premier League side.
One area that desperately needs attention is their attack, with the Magpies managing just 39 goals all season in 2017/18, and that tally needs to increase massively next term if they want to challenge at the top.
While that will require Benitez to bring in a new striker to guarantee goals up top, the Spaniard will also need to improve in the positions surrounding the front man.
According to the Express and Star, Aston Villa may be forced into selling some of their best players this summer after failing to achieve promotion in a Championship play-off final loss.
One Villa star that will no doubt be in high demand is young attacking midfielder Jack Grealish, who has been in scintillating form for the club this season.
The 22-year-old dynamo nearly single-handedly dragged his team into the Premier League, and his exploits will no doubt attract attention from the Premier League.
Villa boss Steve Bruce has urged him to stay at his boyhood club, but Newcastle must pounce for Grealish in the coming weeks.
The youngster will no doubt be wanting to play Premier League football in the near future, and with Villa having to balance the books this summer there is no guarantee of that happening at his beloved Villa Park.
Grealish would transform Newcastle’s attack with his all-action playmaking from behind the striker, and would be another young English player to make a mark at St. James’ Park.
Alongside a new striker, Grealish would be able to bring more goals to Newcastle, with the potential for him to become a real star in the near future at the club.
He would not come cheap necessarily, but he would also not come at an astronomical cost, and Benitez must launch a swoop to bring him to Tyneside this summer.
