Newcastle United would benefit from Espanyol star

Newcastle United would be wise to head into battle with Watford to sign Espanyol’s star winger.

Newcastle United are focused on concluding the 2019-20 Premier League in the best way possible with five games remaining, but the team is also looking at transfer targets for next term.

Newcastle United have already completed one deal a few days ago when they signed former Motherwell goalkeeper Mark Gillespie.

The Magpies are still waiting for the Premier League to announce their decision regarding the proposed takeover. The executive stalemate in London has left the club in a state of confusion and it is impacting their transfer activity.

Whether or not the takeover is approved, the top priority for Newcastle United is to secure the services of some quality strikers. Steve Bruce’s side have been heavily dependent on their midfielders and defenders to carry the scoring load.

Joelinton and Dwight Gayle are the only strikers to score this season. Their combined running tally consists of a mere four goals.

In addition to adding some striking power to the squad, Newcastle United need more depth at the winger position. That being said, there is one winger who is available at an affordable price from La Liga.

According to a new report from the Daily Mail, Espanyol are trying to offload some players due to their current financial crisis, and one of those players is Wu Lei.

The Chinese international is a versatile player who has found success in various positions across the front line. After scoring 102 goals over six seasons in the Chinese Super League, Wu Lei joined Espanyol last January and has performed well in the role of a winger.

With seven goals to his name in 45 league appearances, Wu Lei has shown that he is capable of having an impact in Europe’s top leagues.

It is also worth noting that Espanyol have only won five games this season and are essentially relegated as they are 11 points shy of safety with four games remaining, which means Wu Lei’s numbers should improve on a better team.

Wu Lei has been on Wolverhampton’s radar for quite some time, but, as mentioned in the report above, he was offered to relegation-threatened Watford earlier this week.

Newcastle United should ruin that party by expressing interest as they would only benefit from signing a dynamic winger who can adapt to different roles on the pitch.

With Espanyol actively looking to sell players due to their financial struggles, Newcastle United could steal a quality player for a bargain price. Espanyol only purchased Wu Lei for £1.8m and his current market value is around £7m, but he could be available for less due to the global pandemic.