OPINION
Throughout this summer doubts have grown that Newcastle United will be able to bring West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon in on a permanent deal this summer.
The Daily Mirror confirmed last month that Magpies boss Rafael Benitez wants to sign the Venezuelan after his successful loan spell at the club this season, but that owner Mike Ashley is reluctant to pay the player’s £16.5million release clause given that he will be 30 years of age in September.
The big worry for Newcastle is that other clubs have also been eyeing the 29-year-old, teams as diverse as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fenerbahce have been linked with him.
That gives the team’s supporters enough reason to worry about their chances of signing Rondon permanently already, but Calcio Mercato‘s report on Friday that Italian heavyweights Roma are eyeing the frontman as a potential replacement for the seemingly outgoing Edin Dzeko.
The likes of Wolves and Fenerbahce are all well and good, and obviously them sniffing around isn’t a good thing for the Magpies, but Roma are a different kettle of fish entirely.
Although they didn’t qualify this time round, Roma are regular competitors in the Champions League over the past few years, play in one of the most attractive cities in Europe and are undoubtedly one of the biggest teams in Italy. Who wouldn’t want to play for them?
Then there’s Newcastle, who can’t seem to decide whether they want to sign Rondon or not. If the choice was yours, tell me, which one of those options would you choose?
That’s the dilemma facing the Venezuelan right now, and is why the Magpies’ chances of signing him permanently this summer are probably now at 0.
