It has been another summer of frustration and false promises for Newcastle but fortunately Rafael Benitez has a habit of making something out of nothing.
The few arrivals that have occurred so far at St. James’ Park, Ki Sung-yeung, Martin Dubravka and Kenedy, will provide a huge boost to the Magpies first-team squad as they seek to avoid second-season syndrome and retain their Premier League spot.
It could be a busy few weeks for incoming and outgoing business on Tyneside and we have identified five deals that could go ahead this week.
Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham
A story that has rumbled on for months, it seems that Aleksandar Mitrovic’s permanent transfer to Fulham is set to go ahead as Sky Sports stated over the weekend he was in London finalising his transfer to the newly-promoted club.
Set to cost £22 million, potentially rising as high as £27 million, it is easy to see why Rafael Benitez has cashed in on the 22-year-old Serbia international and it is likely he will immediately reinvest those funds into his squad at St. James’ Park.
Mitrovic should be an instant hit at Craven Cottage after hitting 12 goals in 20 Championship games during the second half of last season on-loan at Fulham, helping the Cottagers secure a return to the top-flight.