West Brom activate Salomon Rondon clause - Bad news for NUFC
by Olly Hawkins ·
According to The Mail's Craig Hope, West Brom have now activated a clause to extend Salomon Rondon's clause for another 12 months - meaning we may not have to pay a substantial fee for the striker if we want to sign him permanently next summer.
This means the Venezuelan will NOT be able to leave on a free next summer, meaning the Baggies will now be able to demand a reasonable fee for the striker with him tied down until 2020 at the Hawthorns.
The striker arrived on loan in the closing stages of the transfer window, with us paying a £2m loan fee as part of a 'loan swap' that saw Dwight Gayle go the other way.
His £16.5m release clause has also expired, so news of his contract extension means we will not have to negotiate a fee with West Brom if we wish to sign the striker permanently next summer.
https://twitter.com/CraigHope_DM/status/1030113745002029057
As far as his long term future on Tyneside is concerned, this is a worry and potentially bad news for Benitez.
Even if he does well, will Mike Ashley pay a substantial fee to sign a man who'll be almost 30 next summer? Given how reluctant he was to pay his £16.5m release clause when he was 28-year old (e.g this summer), I doubt it.
Either way, I'm happy to have him for the season. He's an upgrade on our previous options and someone who should fit into Rafa's system very nicely - even if that's only for a season!
