Magpies close in on £17.5m move for Benfica man
According to the Mirror, Newcastle United are on the verge of completing a £17.5million deal to land Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris.
Samaris has been cited with interest from the newly-promoted club for some time now, but it looks like a move could be very close to completion.
The 28-year-old defensive midfielder signed for Portuguese side Benfica from Olympiacos back in 2014 and has made 73 appearances for the club.
However last term, Samaris only managed to feature in 18 league games for his club – partially down to an ankle injury, but it’s believed he fell out of faith with manager Rui Vitoria.
Toon boss Rafa Benitez is understood to be incredibly keen on the Greek, and it’s reported that the Spaniard has been aiming to finalise this transfer for multiple weeks.
Benitez will undoubtedly be looking to add depth to his ranks this summer ahead of a return season to the top flight, and it looks as if Samaris could be one of his first signings.