OPINION
The door is open for Newcastle United to make a summer swoop for Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.
The addition of a ball-winning midfield kingpin who can complement the passing genius of Jonjo Shelvey and the bulldozing running of Mohamed Diame is a must for the Magpies.
With serious doubts over the future of Mikel Merino, who appears to be hankering for a move back to Spain, the signing of Schneiderlin would be a masterstroke.
Encouragingly for Newcastle, the 28-year-old is likely to be available. The Daily Mail reported today (Wednesday) that the France international wants to quit Goodison Park along with a number of his teammates.
He joined from Manchester United in January of last year for a fee of around £24million but has had a mixed spell at the club even though he was a regular under Sam Allardyce in the second half of last season.
Schneiderlin certainly has plenty to offer at Premier League level.
With 171 top-flight appearances under his belt after climbing through the divisions with Southampton, he knows the English game inside out and has the class and energy to dictate the tempo in midfield.
He could take his game to a new level under a manager like Rafael Benitez, who has breathed new life into the careers of so many of those in the Newcastle squad who were going through difficult times in their careers.
If, as seem likely, the north-east giants secure a £10million-plus fee for Merino, they could make far worse moves than spend the proceeds on Schneiderlin.
