After promising Rafa £116m to spend this summer ... Mike Ashley has our manager/coach out BEGGING for loan signings!
Newcastle United are pushing to sign Chelsea’s Kenedy ahead of Sunday’s season-opener against Tottenham Hotspur.
Rafa Benitez is looking to sign the winger on a season-long loan.
Chelsea are prepared to loan out the 21-year-old, who caused outrage with social media posts on the club’s tour of China last month.
Newcastle have signed five players so far this summer, and manager Benitez still wants another winger, a striker and a goalkeeper.
“I will try to be sure that we get the players that we need,” said Benitez.
Kenedy – who can also play at left-back – joined Chelsea from Brazilian side Fluminese two years ago and spent the first half of last season on loan at Watford.
Benitez has this week voiced his frustration at the club’s transfer efforts.
Newcastle missed out on a number of targets earlier in this summer.
Speaking to ex-United striker Alan Shearer for Football Focus, Benitez said: “(It has been) a little bit frustrating. I don’t want to lie.
“Obviously, we had some targets and couldn’t get these targets for different reasons.”
Benitez, however, will not walk away from the job.
“I was not very happy, but after that I have a responsibility to be sure that I will do my best to improve the squad and stay in the Premier League,” he said.
Benitez and managing director Lee Charnley need to move out a number of players this summer.
PRE-SEASON
NEWCASTLE 2 HELLAS VERONA 0 (Perez, Atsu)
Elliot (Darlow 64), Manquillo (Gamez 64), Lejeune (Lascelles 64), Clark (Mbemba 64), Dummett (Merino 64), Ritchie, Shelvey (Aarons 64), Hayden, Atsu (Murphy 64), Perez (De Jong 72), Mitrovic (Diame 64)
WOLFSBERG 1 NEWCASTLE 3 (Mitrovic, Ritchie Pen, Atsu)
Elliot (Darlow, 70), Manquillo (Mbemba, 70), Lejeune (Lascelles, 70), Clark, Dummett (Gamez, 70), Ritchie (Murphy, 70), Shelvey, Hayden (Merino, 70), Atsu (Aarons, 70), Perez (de Jong, 70), Mitrovic (Diame, 46).
Subs not used: Colback, Gayle.
MAINZ 2 NEWCASTLE 1 (Gamez)
Darlow (Woodman 60), Yedlin (Manquillo 27), Clark (Mbemba 46), Lejuene (Merino 79), Dummett (Gamez 46), Colback (Shelvey 60), Diame (Perez 60), Murphy (Hayden 60), Ritchie (Aarons 46), De Jong (Atsu 60), Mitrovic (Gayle 60)
BRADFORD CITY 0 NEWCASTLE 4 (Gayle, Murphy 2, Mitrovic)
Elliot (Woodman, 61), Yedlin (Manquillo, 46), Lejeune (Mbemba, 61), Clark (Saivet, 77), Dummett (Gamez, 61), Atsu (De Jong, 61), Shelvey (Aarons, 61), Hayden (Colback, 77), Ritchie (Murphy, 46), Perez (Diame, 46), Gayle (Mitrovic, 61).
PRESTON 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Mitrovic)
Elliot (Darlow, 46, Woodman, 70), Mbemba, Hanley (Yedlin, 46), Lejeune (Manquillo, 77), Dummett (Clark, 46), Atsu (Murphy, 46), Diame (Colback, 46), Shelvey (Hayden, 46), Aarons (Perez, 46), de Jong (Roberts, 62), Mitrovic (Gayle, 46).
HEARTS 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Gayle 2)
Elliot (Woodman 63), Aarons(Gamez 46), Clark (Dummett 46), Mbemba (Hanley 62), Lascelles (Lejeune 46), Haidara (Colback 62), Shelvey (Saivet 46), Diame (Armstrong 62), De Jong (Lazaar 75), Atsu (Perez 46), Gayle (Mitrovic 46)