Salomon Rondon had an impressive Premier League campaign for Newcastle United, ending the season with 12 goals in all competitions for the Magpies, one behind top scorer Ayoze Perez, while also bagging the Newcastle United Player of the Year award. The Venezuelan, who is on-loan from Championship side West Bromwich Albion, could leave the club in the summer after the Hawthorns failed to get promoted to the Premier League.
Rondon will be available for £16.5 million in the summer, as per various reports. Which clubs could be interested in signing the West Brom striker? Let’s take a look.
Newcastle United
Rondon signed for Newcastle United on-loan at the start of the 2018-19 campaign in a deal which saw Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle go on loan to West Brom. Rondon is interested in signing for Newcastle United, but it remains to see if owner Mike Ashley is willing to splash the cash on the 29-year-old, while the future of manager Rafa Benitez at Newcastle is also uncertain. Rondon has been an important player for Benitez’s side in a campaign which has seen them score just 42 goals in 38 games.
We could maybe see a swap plus cash deal which could see Rondon move to Newcastle and Gayle move to West Brom on permanent deals.
Southampton
Like Newcastle United, Southampton, too, were low scorers in the 2018-19 Premier League season, registering just 45 goals in the process. No Southampton player got into double figures for goals, with the leading goalscorer being winger Nathan Redmond with 9 goals. Danny Ings, Shane Long and Charlie Austin haven’t been consistent in the league, which could result in manager Ralph Hasenhüttl signing a striker. The Saints have been linked with Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrović, whose team was relegated to the Championship.
West Ham United
West Ham United had a good first season under new manager Manuel Pellegrini, finishing 10th in the league, and will look to go higher up the table in the next season. One position that the former Manchester City manager will have to invest in is the striking department. The future of leading goalscorer Marko Arnautović is uncertain, and it remains to be seen if he will move away from the club as the reports in January suggested. Andy Carroll’s contract with the Hammers expires in the summer, while Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez could also leave the club. The Hammers need to sign more than one striker in the summer, and Rondon could be one of them and a steal at the quoted £16.5 million.
