Newcastle have been linked with a move for Real Madrid full-back Alvaro Arbeloa, according to the Daily Mail.
That would reunite the 33-year-old with former boss Rafa Benitez, with the current Magpies manager having signed Arbeloa while he was in charge at Liverpool in 2007, before managing him at Real earlier this season.
Arbeloa’s contract at the Santiago Bernabeu expires later this month and he will exit Madrid having made 233 appearances over seven seasons for Los Blancos. In recent years, he has mostly been a peripheral figure with the likes of Dani Carvajal and Danilo ahead of him in the pecking order.
However, with current first-choice right-back Daryl Janmaat all set to leave St. James’ Park due to Newcastle’s relegation to the Championship, Benitez is likely to look for defensive cover and experienced heads to propel the Magpies’ promotion push next season.
And with the paper reporting that Benitez has been handed total control over transfers in and out of the club – Arbeloa could be a shrewd signing for the Magpies as he will join on a free transfer and provide experience and solidity in the Newcastle backline.
In previous years, Newcastle looked to sign young players who would have sell-on value, but Mike Ashley’s decision to hand over control of transfers to Benitez means that he could bring in some Premier League-calibre players in the summer transfer window. Arbeloa would represent that perfectly.
