Over the past few months, we saw reports from South America claiming Newcastle United are one of the contenders for the signing of Estudiantes star Benjamin Rollheiser.
It was back in August that it was claimed the Magpies were interested in the player, with their chase getting backed up earlier this month.
It turns out, however, that Newcastle may be falling behind in the race for him, because according to Cesar Luis Merlo, Benfica are also in this hunt.
The journalist writes that the Eagles have ‘concrete interest’ in Rollheiser, as they have already opened talks with Estudiantes for the transfer. In fact, the Portuguese side are said to be leading the competition right now.
The good thing for Newcastle is that the La Plata side will only negotiate a transfer after the Argentina Cup final next week, so there’s still some time for the offers to be put on the table.
Reports from August said the Magpies wanted to spend €10m on his signing, so this feels like the right time to make their bid official all the while keeping an eye out for Benfica’s competition.
