OPINION
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is not going to invest heavily in transfers this month, that much is very clear.
The Sports Direct tycoon is still ‘trying to sell’ the club on to new owners, more than a year after he first declared it was up for sale in late 2017.
As a result, it is widely accepted that Ashley will not want to pour any significant funds into the club for January transfers, with any return on that investment unlikely.
Manager Rafa Benitez is expected to have his hands mostly tied in the coming weeks as he searches for reinforcements, but that does not mean that no permanent transfers will take place.
If Benitez and his team find the right player, who fits in with Ashley’s policy, then a cheap purchase is definitely possible.
One player they have been tracking in recent weeks is AC Milan left-sided flyer Diego Laxalt, who has failed to impress at the Serie A since his summer move from Genoa.
As now reported by Calciomercato, the Serie A giants have placed a £10.7million price tag on the 25-year-old’s head, with the Magpies, Lazio and Atalanta all in the hunt.
Laxalt is unfortunately said to be not massively keen on a move to Newcastle, but the lure of working with a manager like Benitez must have some pull.
Signing the Uruguay international for the touted £10.7million would be an absolute masterstroke for the Magpies, who are in desperate need of cover at left-back and on the wing, with Laxalt able to play both comfortably.
There are obviously some barriers to such a move taking place, but they must try and push through them to seal this deal which would kickstart their January business in perfect fashion.
