Rafa Benitez is looking to add to his squad ahead of the new season and the Spaniard is reportedly close to signing the Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar.
According to Daily Star, the Magpies are confident of signing the Porto star this summer. The Cameroon international was linked with a move to Rennes as well.
Newcastle have been linked with a few strikers this summer and it seems that Benitez has chosen the Porto attacker as his prime target.
The Premier League outfit are expected to pay around £9m for Aboubakar. They have also offered wages of around £2.5m-per-season. The report states that Rennes cannot compete with Newcastle’s wage offer and therefore the player is heading to St James’s Park.
Daily Star adds that Newcastle are likely to complete the deal this week.
The 25-year-old was very highly rated when he joined Porto back in 2014. However, he did not develop as expected and was sent out on loan to Besiktas last season.
Aboubakar scored 12 goals in 27 appearances for the Turkish side last season. He also managed to score the late winner against Egypt in the finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations to end his nation’s 15-year wait for a continental crown.
It will be interesting to see how he performs in the Premier League now. There is no doubt that his pace and athleticism would be an asset for Newcastle, but he needs to improve in front of the goal if he wants to lead the line for Benitez’ side next season.
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