OPINION
Newcastle United must hijack Bournemouth’s reported pursuit of CD Leganes left-back Diego Rico as he would potentially be a cheap option to sign in order to improve Rafa Benitez’s squad.
Sky Sports reported on Saturday that the Cherries had enquired about the 25-year-old’s price tag after witnessing the defender’s reputation in La Liga grow over the last two seasons due to featuring for Leganes.
The broadcaster shared that Rico has been part of the Leganes side that have been deemed to have overachieved since winning promotion to Spain’s top-flight in 2016 as they have comfortably avoided relegation in both their recent campaigns.
Rico, who predominately features as a left-back, has been a key player for the Spanish side and has impressed in the 51 La Liga outings he has made since his side won promotion.
The left-back had a particularly impressive season in his 17/18 campaign as he ended it with two goals and two assists and looked more of a threat when helping his side go on the attack.
This improvement in Rico’s game saw him standout for his team and enable him to shine for all to see.
The 25-year-old regularly puts his body on the line for his side by throwing himself at the ball in order to block the opposition’s shots and is able to constantly appear to read his opponent’s minds as he often intercepts the ball for himself.
These two attributes along with his knack for finding his target when crossing the ball into the box have seen the left-back shine in his recent seasons.
While Paul Dummett is the Magpies’ clear number one left-back at the club after some stellar displays last season, Benitez could do with signing a new left-back to provide competition and cover for Dummett.
Javier Manquillo stepped in for Dummett during the 2017/18 campaign when the Welsh defender got injured and he clearly wasn’t up to the standard required of him.
It is believed that Bournemouth are plotting a £5million move for Rico, as reported by the Daily Mirror’s Live Transfer Blog (Saturday, 18:00) and that is a very low price given his displays over the last two seasons.
As Eddie Howe’s side have previously asked about Rico’s price, according to Sky Sports’ report, it seems likely that £5million could be enough to get a deal done if that’s how much the Magpies’ Premier League rivals are planning on bidding.
Therefore the Magpies should hijack the Cherries’ pursuit of the 25-year-old defender as by signing Rico their squad would be improved for a relatively low price.
