Rafael Benitez is unsure of his next move amid concerns he could have to pay Newcastle United a £6million penalty fee were he to agree a move to Dalian Yifang this week, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims that the Spaniard is still considering a £12million-per-year offer from the Chinese club, after the Magpies announced his departure on Monday.
Benitez won’t actually leave the club until after his contract has expired on June 30, and he does not know if he’s able to agree a move to another side before then.
If he did, there are fears that he could be liable to pay owner Mike Ashley a £6million penalty for leaving while under contract.
OPINION
This would be a real kick in the teeth for Benitez, wouldn’t it? However, the solution seems pretty simple here. Surely all he needs to do is wait until his contract expires at the end of this month and then he’ll have his pick of jobs. It’s unlikely that he’s going to be short of offers considering all he achieved at St James’ Park and in his career in general. And if he’s really keen on the big money on offer from China then surely he just needs to say to them ‘look, can you just wait a few more days before officially signing me so that I can avoid paying £6million to this buffoon of an owner?’. That’s all he needs to do, and Dalian are highly unlikely to say no to waiting a few more days to secure a world class manager like Benitez. Ashley would probably love to get another £6million in the bank, especially coming from Benitez. The owner likely feels the Spaniard has been treated too favourably considering he was equally belligerent in their contract negotiations. Still, the answer is easy for Rafa here.
