OPINION
Newcastle United have finally kicked off their summer in the last few days with the signing of Ki Sung-yueng on a free transfer and by submitting their first bid of the window for Nice striker Alassane Plea.
As reported by the Chronicle, talks are continuing with the Ligue 1 club over a deal for the 25-year-old, who is also on the radar of several other Premier League sides.
Now that the club are finally moving in the market, Rafa Benitez will be on the hunt for any other potential deals that he believes the club can push through, with attack looking a priority.
The Spaniard is thought to be looking at bringing in an extra wide man this summer, and there looks to be a deal on the table for the club which he should chase in the coming days.
As reported by the Mirror, Southampton forward Sofiane Boufal is set to leave the club after being left out of the club’s pre-season tour of China.
The Morocco international failed to earn a place at this summer’s World Cup after falling out of favour on the south coast, but glimpses of quality during his time at the Saints suggest that he is simply a diamond in need of polishing.
Benitez could well be the manager to bring the best out of the mercurial dazzler, who joined Southampton from Lille for £16million in 2016, and a swoop makes sense with Boufal on the verge of an exit this summer.
The 24-year-old would not break the bank, having failed to impress at Southampton, and you would think a deal could be stuck around the £12million mark.
While it would admittedly represent a bit of risk for Newcastle, Boufal is clearly a player with huge potential who could get fans out of their seats at St. James’ Park.
There will be other wide men on the radar of the club this summer, but Benitez must now swoop for Boufal amid his impending exit, and turn him into the brilliant player he has threatened to be for a while now.
