Newcastle United could have picked up a £10million fee for exit-bound striker Joselu in January, according to The Chronicle.
The newspaper claims that the Spaniard believed he could secure the aforementioned amount amid interest from China, but blocked the move because he didn’t believe he’d be able to replace his countryman.
Spanish outlet Marca now reports that the 29-year-old will leave St James’ Park to join La Liga side Alaves for just £1.7million, a fraction of what they could have made five months ago.
OPINION
Well, this is depressing, isn’t it? You have to wonder, though, whether Newcastle could really have bagged £10million for a striker as underwhelming as Joselu. That just seems rather hard to believe, doesn’t it? What has the Spaniard done in England to justify that sort of fee? In China, though, as we know, they are rather prone to overpaying – both in transfer fees and in wages – for players with a bit of name value. Anyway, Benitez didn’t pull the trigger on the move and now the Magpies face giving the player up for a much smaller fee than they could have got in January. That’s a shame, obviously, but the main thing is that they are getting Joselu out of the club and off the wage bill. He’s never going to be a regular starter for Benitez’s side, so it’s best for everyone involved that he moves on this summer.
