Newcastle United and Genoa disagree on the purchase obligation included in the contract of Achraf Lazaar’s proposed loan move to the Serie A side, according to Italian outlet Il Secolo XIX.
They report that Rafael Benitez’s side, who have been looking to offload the left back all summer, want to insert an option in the contract whereby Genoa would have to purchase Lazaar once he’s made a certain number of appearances for the club, while the Italian outfit merely want to have the option to purchase him regardless of how many appearances he makes.
Diego Laxalt moved from Genoa to Milan on Friday, and Davide Ballardini’s team are keen to replace the Uruguayan as quickly as possible.
Lazaar has made just ten appearances for the Magpies in all competitions since joining from Palermo in 2016. He was sent out on loan to Benevento last season but played just nine times for the Italian club.
OPINION
This is a deal that needs to get done now. Lazaar’s days at St James’s Park have been numbered for some time now, and fans would be forgiven for wondering why the club signed him in the first place. He was given the opportunity to impress back in Italy with Benevento last season but was unable to take it. It’s somewhat surprising, then, that a team of Genoa’s stature are even interested in the 26-year-old. Newcastle clearly want to get him off their books, and that’s why they are insisting on the Italian side having to purchase the Moroccan after a certain number of games. Genoa, clearly not 100% sure about Lazaar, are reluctant to do so. The Magpies should take what they can get here, because the left back is hardly in demand. They need him out of Tyneside, and if that means compromising what they’re looking for a little bit, then so be it.
