Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic hints at summer departure

Newcastle United striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has hinted that he may leave St James’ Park this summer, reports The Daily Mail.

The 22-year-old moved to the North East back in 2015 after impressing at Belgian giants Anderlecht, but has since struggled to consistently show his best form for the Magpies, scoring just 15 times in 60 games for the club.

And with just 11 Championship starts under Rafa Benitez last season, albeit still netting four goals in 1122 minutes of football, it appears that he is already down on the striking pecking order, and may slip even further should the Newcastle chief look to add to his squad ahead of their Premier League return.

And Mitrovic, albeit expressing delight that the Magpies are back in the top-flight, has hinted that he could leave the club should a suitable offer come in for him.

He said: ‘I’m very happy to help Newcastle back to the Premier League because that’s where the club deserves to be.

‘I don’t know anything. I heard something about other clubs.

‘If some good offers for me – which are also good for the club – come in for me over the summer then we will speak about it.’

These comments are sure to interest Newcastle fans, who have seen Mitrovic show glimpses of brilliance during his time in the North East, but ultimately frustrate in equal measure in his two-year spell at the club.

And given that he could only muster 11 starts in the Championship last term, somewhat fewer than the likes of Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez, it seems unlikely that he’ll find himself a regular in their Premier League campaign next time round.

And with reported interest from Turkish giants Besiktas and Fenerbahce in recent times, the £8.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) could well attract concrete interest this summer, and thus his short time at Newcastle may well be coming to an end in the coming weeks and months.