Newcastle United now look set to miss out on one of their January targets as Benfica begin negotiations with his club.
Benjamin Rollheiser has been on Newcastle’s radar since the summer as the club look to add a goalscoring winger to their ranks to compete with Miguel Almiron.
However, a new report from O Jogo now suggests that Benfica are close to stealing the 23-year-old and are in talks with Juan Sebastian Veron, vice president of Estudiantes, over a move.
Rollheiser has been tipped to be a special talent
Something Newcastle have lacked in recent years is a serious goal threat from the wings, to take the pressure off of Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak who have had their injury struggles.
Gordon has started to add more of an end product to his game and while Almiron can often score brilliant goals in big games, it’s the lack of consistency with his finishes that can frustrate supporters.
Rollheiser has racked up 20 goals and assists for the South American side who won the Copa Argentina and would be a great addition for both Newcastle and Benfica.
Although in football terms he’s not exactly the youngest of players to break into Europe, Rollheiser has still been tipped to have a great career and has plenty of room to grow at a new club.
Benfica set to beat Newcastle
Benfica are likely to lose a lot of their attacking players in the summer and therefore are very keen to bring in some fresh faces to reinvigorate the squad.
Goncalo Guedes, who is on loan from Wolves, will leave the Portuguese club in the summer while the futures of Angel Di Maria and Rafa Silva also look in doubt.
While being a huge club internationally, Benfica also have the added factor of being a regular competitor in the Champions League, something Newcastle cannot guarantee in their plea to Rollheiser for next season.
For now, the 23-year-old is on vacation after a long season in Argentina, but he will soon have a big decision to make about his future.
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