Newcastle United are ready to table a bid to sign Roma midfielder Maxime Gonalons, according to Calcio Mercato.
The Italian news outlet claims that the Magpies see Gonalons, 30, as a potential bargain addition to their squad and are preparing to make an offer to Roma in the coming days.
Gonalons spent last season on loan at Sevilla but only managed 13 appearances across all competitions as he suffered from multiple injury issues.
Roma, who are owned by American billionaire James Pallotta [NY Times], signed Gonalons from Lyon in 2017, but he’s only made a total of 23 appearances for them since and it appears as though his spell at the Stadio Olimpico could come to an end before next season kicks off.
OPINION
It is hard to see Newcastle be so willing to sign Gonalons. Mike Ashley wouldn’t let Rafa Benitez sign Salomon Rondon on a permanent deal from West Brom because he was approaching his 30th birthday and Gonalons is someone who has proven himself to be very injury prone in the last year and has already turned 30-years-old. Gonalons might be a cheap addition for the Magpies, which is surely something that Ashley would like. However he would be cheap because he’s clearly surplus to requirements at Roma after being shipped out on loan last summer, only for him to suffer injury after injury in Spain. Newcastle might need a new defensive midfielder after Mohamed Diame’s exit from St James’ Park. However the Magpies should only replace Diame with someone who is better and more reliable than him. There’s no way that Gonalons is a serious target for the managerless Magpies.
