OPINION
With Newcastle’s striker pursuit getting hotter by the day, they must now turn to their rivals for inspiration in search of attacking talent – and they should look no further than Bournemouth.
According to Russian outlet Sport24, the Cherries have launched an £8 million bid to land the Swedish World Cup star Viktor Claesson from Russian outfit Krasnodar, who operates as an attacking midfielder.
However, in light of this news, the Magpies must hijack their rivals’ pursuit of the attacker and pinch him for themselves in order to boost their threat up front.
The 26-year-old netted ten goals and created a further eight in 30 appearances in Russia’s top flight, with the club’s fans even voting him as their player of the year for 2017/2018 after his performances helped them to an impressive fourth placed finish in the league.
He was selected to represent his country at this summer’s tournament, helping Sweden progress all the way to the quarter-finals where they eventually crashed out to England 2-0.
Should Newcastle hijack Bournemouth’s pursuit of the attacker, then they will have a formidable talent on their hands – and Claesson could be capable of increasing his goal tally if he made the move to a more competitive league.
He is incredibly versatile in his play, operating as an attacking midfielder as well as a left winger and a central striker – a key position that Benitez has been looking to enhance.
The Spaniard would be able to exploit this versatility to the maximum, playing him as a striker should one of the forwards get injured. Seeing as he could potential cost £8 million according to the Russian report, then Benitez would be mad not to snap him up from under the noses of the South Coast based club.
It would be a major coup for the club – and they must now raid Bournemouth’s attempts to sign the Swede.
