Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez launches bid to land £12.8million-rated Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet
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NEWCASTLE boss Rafa Benitez has reportedly launched a bid to land £12.8million-rated Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet.
The Spanish boss has been left frustrated this summer as he's been unable to add to his squad as much as he would like.
A fairly public rift with owner Mike Ashley followed, with the Sports Direct man suggesting the money just wasn't there.
However, it would appear Benitez has his wish of splashing a little more cash as he is chasing former Anderlecht man Praet, according to Italian outlet Il Secolo XIX.
The Belgian attacking midfielder joined the youth ranks at Anderlecht in 2010 before breaking into the first-team a year later.
Praet spent five years in the Belgian outfit's first-team squad making 139 appearances and winning three Belgian Pro League titles before he joined Sampdoria 12 months ago.
However, the one-cap Belgium international excelled in his debut season, making 32 appearances in Serie A.
Benitez will be keen to conclude a deal for Praet after a disastrous opening day of the 2017-18 Premier League campaign.
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As well as losing 2-0 at the hands of Tottenham, the ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid boss saw a host of players limp off injured.
Meanwhile, captain Jonjo Shelvey needlessly saw red for a stamp, leaving Newcastle scarily short of numbers in their first-team squad.
However, Praet won't come cheap as he still has four years to run on his current Sampdoria contract.
A bid in the region of close to £15m might be required in order to tempt the Italian side into selling.