According to a recent report by Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato, Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United side are said to be lining up a move for Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata as a possible replacement for Salomon Rondon.
The attacker is scheduled to return to West Bromwich Albion at the end of the season.
Newcastle’s season has certainly been filled with ups and downs. While their current league position is certainly respectable, things weren’t going all that well for them in the early parts of the Premier League campaign.
They went through a tough spell of injuries early on in the season which saw them lose key players like Jonjo Shelvey, Paul Dummett, Kenedy and even Mo Diame for prolonged durations. This has a massive hit on their results but things have taken a turn for the better at St.James’ Park in recent weeks.
The January signing of Paraguayan speedster Miguel Almiron has certainly come as a massive boost. The sudden form of the defenders has also benefited them greatly.
Issac Hayden and Sean Longstaff are two other players who really stepped up to the plate when the Magpies needed them the most. They’ve both nailed down the starting midfield role now and even managed to keep experienced players like Shelvey out of the side so far.
Newcastle’s recent fortunes can be credited solely on the shoulders of West Bromwich Albion loanee Salomon Rondon, who has chipped in with important goals for the Magpies this term.
The 29-year-old has scored 9 goals from his 25 league appearances out of which 2 goals have come in the last 2 fixtures that the Magpies featured in. Come the end of the season, the Venezuelan international is set to return to the Hawthorns and the search for a new striker must already be in order.
According to reports from Calcio Mercato, Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata has piqued the interest for Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez, who is dwelling over the possibility of bringing the talented Colombian talisman to St.James’ Park.
Zapata has a rather similar skill-set to Rondon and even boasts better pace and mobility. Able to make a nuisance of himself in the opposition box, Zapata scores his fair share of headers and will certainly be an overall upgrade on the Venezuelan.
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With 17 goals and 5 assists from his 28 games for Atalanta, the Sampdoria loanee has been in excellent form all season and all the right attributes to be the perfect player to come in and take over from Rondon as the number one striker at St.James’ Park.