Now that Newcastle United have been promoted to the Premier League by lifting the Championship trophy, the transfer window is the club’s main priority.
Rafa Benitez has already revealed to the world how much the club will have at its disposal in the coming months, and the Spaniard is planning on using that to add quality to a squad in order to avoid going straight back down again.
If the Daily Mirror are to be believed, one of the players targeted could be Chelsea’s Baba Rahman, currently on loan at Schalke 04 in Germany after being deemed ‘too attacking’ by Antonio Conte, and recommended to Benitez by Christian Atsu.
The British newspaper also explain the Ghanaian could be given a second chance at Stamford Bridge by the Italian as he starts planning a campaign involving Champions League football.
However, the tune in Germany is very different, with Schalke themselves rather confident they can hold onto to Rahman for next season.
The club’s director of football, Christian Heidel, has been quoted as saying, relayed by FussballTransfers: “I think we’ll be able to do it in the next few days, he will play for Schalke next season.”
Hanging on to an attacking wing-back like Rahman looks increasingly important for the German side, who are set to lose one of their stars, Sead Kolasinac, on a free next month.
If Schalke are confident they can keep him, that means Chelsea aren’t exactly looking to hang on to him, leaving Newcastle little chance in the process, especially if Rahman knows he could end up being a guaranteed starter for them next year.
The 22-year-old made 22 appearances for the Bundesliga side this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists, before suffering a crucial ligament rupture in his knee when on international duty with his country during the Africa Cup of Nations.
