According to reports in The Sun, Newcastle United attacker Ayoze Perez, rated at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, is Real Betis’ top summer transfer target after they qualified for the Europa League this season.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Sun says that the La Liga outfit, who recorded a sixth-place finish in the Spanish top flight to qualify for Europe, are ready to rest the Tyneside outfit’s resolve with a bid to bring the 24-year-old back to his home country.
However, The Sun reports that Magpies manager Rafa Benitez wants to keep the attacking midfielder at St James’ Park – especially after his impressive end to the 2017/18 campaign – with the player admitting to the same source earlier this month that he is keen to stay in the Premier League.
How did Perez do this season?
It was certainly a bit of a rollercoaster season for the Spaniard.
The 24-year-old was a regular in the starting XI throughout the campaign as he made 37 appearances in all competitions, but he often struggled to make an impact in terms of goals and assists in the opening months of the season.
However, the forward did hit some form in the last couple of months to help the Tyneside outfit preserve their Premier League status for at least another 12 months, and he scored six goals and provided one assist in their final eight top flight fixtures.
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Should Newcastle sell him to Betis?
If Benitez stays at St James’ Park, it is very unlikely to happen.
The 24-year-old is a real favourite with the Toon boss, and that was shown when he stayed in the starting XI even when he perhaps wasn’t at his best.
However, while his form towards the end of the season was impressive, he didn’t do it on a consistent enough basis and it could be a blessing in disguise for the Tyneside outfit if they let him go this summer, and bring in an upgrade to bring some more variety to their attacking play.
The whole situation could change anyway if Benitez links up with West Ham – although Magpies fans on Twitter have an interesting theory about that rumour.
