RAFA IS ON TO VIN-NER
Toon boss looking to seal £18m double deal
RAFA BENITEZ is closing in on a £18m double deal ahead of Newcastle’s top flight return.
The Premier League new boys believe they have won the race to sign £9m Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar.
The Cameroon international was set to sign for Rennes, only for the Magpies to hijack their bid.
And with the French club unable to compete with the £2.5m annual wages Newcastle can offer, Aboubakar looks to be bound for St James’ Park.
Willing
He is unlikely to be the only new Toon arrival this week, with Eibar defender Florian Lejeune’s move on the verge of being finalised.
Newcastle have triggered the £8.7m release clause in Lejeune’s contract and are willing to pay in one lump sum.
The Frenchman, 26, joined Manchester City from Girona two years ago and was loaned back to the Spanish second tier side.
City let him leave for Eibar in a £1.2m deal and his form last season attracted interest from Tottenham and Arsenal.
But it’s Newcastle who have been his keenest suitors. Toon boss Benitez aims to bring in up to eight players this summer, but one who will not be heading to Tyneside is Ivory Coast midfielder Nicolas Pepe.
The 22-year-old was a Toon target in January and the club continued to monitor his performances for Angers during the second half of the season.
However, Pepe has decided to stay in France.
And Newcastle face an anxious wait before hearing if Chelsea starlet Tammy Abraham is heading to the North East.
Earlier this month, they were confident the England Under-21 hitman would be pulling on a black and white shirt next term.
But Brighton have not given up on signing him on a season-long loan and Swansea have also emerged as rivals to land the teenager, who rose to prominence during his loan spell at Bristol City.
Abraham is not the only player currently in Poland with Aidy Boothroyd’s squad who is on Newcastle’s radar.
They are also keeping tabs on Arsenal’s Calum Chambers, who is expected to leave the Gunners.