Newcastle United’s hopes of landing Estudiantes’ wide forward Benjamin Rollheiser have been dealt a massive blow as the 23-year-old looks set to join Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg in a £12 million deal.
According to The Sun, Newcastle United are “set to miss out on” the services of Argentine attacking talent Benjamin Rollheiser, as the Estudiantes winger looks likely to join Zenit St. Petersburg in a move worth around £12 million.
This comes after reports last week suggested the Magpies are eager to bring the 23-year-old to Europe and the Premier League as they look to bolster their attack even further. It was claimed that Newcastle had been tracking the Estudiantes player for some time now and that he would opt for a move to St. James’ Park if Eddie Howe’s side would have agreed a deal with the Argentine outfit.
TNT Sports journalist Nicolas Latini even went on to state that the Magpies already have an opening ‘offer ready’ for the attacker. But that may fall short of Estudiantes’ valuation. It turns out that the Magpies are not the only ones willing to take the attacker to Europe, as Zenit St. Petersburg have now stolen a march for his signing.
Burnley and Sheffield United are also reported to be keen on acquiring the attacking midfielder’s services. But the Russian giants are close to finalising a fee with Estudiantes, and the proposal is deemed “too good to turn down.”
The update comes as a bit of a blow to the Magpies, as the attacker sounds like a really exciting talent. Predominantly operating as a right winger, the South American talent also made several appearances up front and as a No. 10 last season, where he bagged 11 goals and five assists in all competitions.
Given Newcastle have already signed one winger this summer in Harvey Barnes and still have the likes of Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon out wide, it may not be a priority position. But a versatile attacker able to play on the right side of attack in order to provide competition to Miguel Almiron.
Anyway, Newcastle have already been active in the transfer market this summer, with Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, and Tino Livramento all moving to St. James’ Park.
They are also close to announcing Chelsea’s prodigious left-back Lewis Hall as their latest summer signing on an initial loan deal that will include an obligation to buy next summer for a fee believed to be in the region of £28 million. Due to Financial Fair Play restrictions, the Magpies are unlikely to conduct any further transfer business if they complete a deal for the Chelsea star.
