Yesterday, we relayed a claim from Gazzetta dello Sport that Hellas Verona were interested in signing Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the Serie A club’s manager reportedly phoning Rafa Benitez on Thursday about it.
Well, that phone call happened, as Friday’s edition of the same newspaper explains, and reports from England suggest a loan offer was made, only to be rejected.
However, what has come to light since is an interest from another Serie A side, and that is Cagliari, who are now said to have the upper hand on their league counterparts, as they try and bolster their frontline for what could be a tough season ahead.
However, the same reports in England suggest the newcomers have also seen an initial ‘dry’ loan offer denied by Rafa Benitez and co.
The fact they came 11th in last year’s Serie A makes them slightly more attractive than Hellas Verona, who have only just been promoted back into Italy’s top tier from Serie B, but their problems in landing Mitrovic will be similar.
It seems Rafa Benitez has made it rather clear that only a decent amount of money (£20m) will see Mitrovic exit St James’ Park, and we now know straight loans will not be considered.
The issue here is, can either Hellas Verona or Cagliari cough up the required fee, even if it is next year on a loan with a view to buy?
Unlikely.
