OPINION
Newcastle United supporters are surely paranoid enough about the thought of star striker Salomon Rondon leaving the club this summer, so last week’s report on the Venezuelan will only have increased their anguish.
Turkish outlet Takvim claimed that European giants Galatasaray are interested in signing the 29-year-old amid uncertainty over the futures of Mbaye Diagne and Kostas Mitroglou and that they are going to ramp up initial interest by scouting his performances before the season is out.
Obviously Rondon is not officially a Newcastle player. He is still only at the club on loan from West Bromwich Albion, but there is no doubt that manager Rafael Benitez and the club’s supporters want him to stay where he is next season.
However, it seems more and more likely that that won’t be happening. The Magpies board’s feelings on the matter are clear, and with teams like Galatasaray lurking there’s nothing really to keep Rondon at St James’ Park.
He would be well within his rights to feel like he’s not valued by Newcastle – the club’s hierarchy at least – and that he’d be better off pursuing a big pay day in Turkey where he will be the main man.
So Magpies fans have every reason to be sweating buckets as they read reports like this. They only increase the feeling that Rondon will be off this summer – and who could blame him?
However, we can still hope that common sense prevails on Tyneside and that they keep the burly frontman around by hook or by crook. But if they dilly-dally too much then another team, like Galatasaray, will certainly take advantage of their idleness.
That’s not what the supporters or Benitez want, but it’s what might well happen. Again, let’s keep our fingers crossed that it doesn’t, but things appear to be moving in that worrying direction.
