Abde Ezzalzouli a ‘top target’ as Newcastle discover release clause - Report
Ross Wilson is in for a busy summer as Newcastle United's sporting director.
Wilson already facilitated the sale of Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, bringing in £70 million for the club, but now he needs to find an adequate replacement for the England star.
With no European football to offer potential signings, that's going to be quite a tall order. However, with the remit being to find young, hidden talents, it may not be such a difficult task after all.
Although one of Newcastle's primary targets to replace Anthony Gordon is Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli, who may be much harder to entice to Tyneside.
Abde Ezzalzouli is high on Newcastle's wish list
The Moroccan has had a fantastic season for Betis, helping the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 21 years.
That alone could make Wilson's task difficult, but Ezzalzouli has a lot of suitors who can also offer European football, including Aston Villa.
The Chronicle has reported that the 24-year-old is a 'top target' for Newcastle and has a £51m release clause. This could make things a bit easier for Newcastle as Betis will not want to sell their star player, but the release clause removes that roadblock from the equation.
Tricky, but not impossible
Newcastle still has an exciting project, and if it is pitched correctly, then the fact that there's no European football next season is something that can be talked around. We managed to convince Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes to come here when we were staring at relegation, so we know that the right players will see beyond the next season.
The Chronicle's report suggests that at 24, Abde Ezzalzouli may be out of Wilson's scope when it comes to his preferred age range, but honestly, we're fine with bringing in a 24-year-old. In this day and age, top players go well into their 30s, so he's not even hit his peak yet.
With 15 goals and 13 assists from 45 matches in all competitions, his being a year the wrong side of Wilson's ideal age range can surely be overlooked.
