Newcastle United will go back in for Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris this summer after failing to sign him in January, according to the Daily Star.
The newspaper claims that Magpies boss Rafael Benitez is ready to revive his interest in the Greek international, who almost joined in the last transfer window.
The 29-year-old will be available on a free transfer this summer, and with Mohamed Diame and Isaac Hayden both expected to leave, Newcastle are likely to go back in for Samaris.
OPINION
This is an interesting one and it makes sense given the uncertainty that surrounds Newcastle’s midfield midfield corps this summer. Sean Longstaff and Ki Sung-yueng will likely stick around, but who knows where Diame, Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey will be next season? So Benitez – or whoever is in charge – will need to bring in some extra central midfield help ready for the next campaign, and Samaris is a well-known former transfer target for the club. He’s been playing at a high level for some time with both Olympiakos and Benfica, including regular Champions League football with the latter, and is clearly a talented player who could add something to this Newcastle team. However, at 29 years of age he doesn’t exactly fit in with the club’s well-known recruitment policy. Perhaps the Magpies hierarchy might put his advanced age aside due to the fact that he would be arriving for nothing, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with this one.
