Sporting CP Considering Move for Newcastle Striker

Newcastle United striker Aleksandar Mitrović may become a transfer target of Portuguese giants Sporting CP, should Os Leões cash in on Islam Slimani this summer.

The 21-year-old Serbian international has long had the admiration of Sporting coach Jorge Jesus who in fact wanted to sign Mitrović when in charge of Benfica.

There is now a possibility Jesus’ intent to sign the ex-Anderlecht man can be revisited after Rafa Benitez’ side were relegated to the second tier of English football. He is valued at €10m, though Sporting would only be able to invest such a significant sum by first selling one of their prized assets such as the afore-mentioned Slimani or João Mário whose performances have warranted interest from top Premier League sides.

Mitrović, who stands at 1.89m tall and carries 82kg, came to the attention of many top European clubs after he scored 28 goals in 2014/15 for Belgian side Anderlecht. However, his progress has slowed considerably thus far in his Newcastle career where he only managed nine goals in 36 appearances, in which he also earned himself a red card on two separate occasions.

The young centre forward continues to be an undisputed starter for the Serbian national team, which relies on a number of players who have graced Portuguese football in recent seasons such as Nemanja Matić, Ljubomir Fejsa and Lazar Marković.

It remains to be seen whether or not Sporting will be presented with an irrefutable offer for their Algerian hitman during the transfer window. This will ultimately determine if the Alvalade club’s interest becomes more serious.

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