Journalist reveals the £16m striker Rafa Benitez 'wanted to sign' for NUFC this summer
According to the Chronicle's Mark Douglas, Rafa Benitez 'wanted to sign' West Brom striker Salomon Rondon this summer - however it quickly became evident that it was going to cost much more than his £16m release clause to sign him.
It was confirmed soon after their relegation that the powerful Venezuelan had a clause in his contract, allowing him to leave for £16m this summer.
Benitez's interest was reported and it seemed at one stage that we were ready to activate that clause, however it seems as though agent/signing on fees and hefty wage demands may have made it far more expensive than meets the eye.
Here's what the Chronicle had to say on our interest, confirming that he was one of Rafa's main targets but seemingly someone we deemed too costly in the end:
Benitez wanted to sign Salomon Rondón from West Bromwich Albion for £16m but the deal is believed to have collapsed when the spiralling costs were taken into consideration.
He's a handful, a hard worker and a player that would probably fit into Benitez's system far better than most would expect, however it may be a good job that we look elsewhere if he was going to cost silly money.
His goal record isn't prolific - averaging just under 10 goals a season in England - and he's 28, so he's a player whose value would be far more likely to decrease than increase as he edges closer to 30.
Which affordable striker would you like to see us sign this summer?
