Rafa Benítez: Keeping Salomón Rondón at Newcastle not up to me | OneFootball

Newcastle United boss Rafael Benítez has admitted keeping Salomón Rondón at the club beyond this season is out of his hands.

Rondón, on loan from West Brom, scored two at the weekend as the Magpies made it two wins in a row in the Premier League.

Asked about keeping the Venezuela striker at the club, Benítez didn’t have much to day.

“Now is not the time to talk about that, just enjoy the goals he scored,” said the Spaniard.

“I have no idea about the terms of the contract, but if he keeps scoring two goals a game, of course,”

“I don’t know the terms of the contract or when we discuss that. I’m not that interested, if he keeps scoring goals, Lee Charnley will be looking at the terms of the contract and worrying about that.

“We knew about the conditions to sign Rondón, the release clause, and at that price, to get a player with his experience and his level in the Premier League, it is not easy.

“I liked the player, I was in contact with his agent and in contact with his agent working on the possibility.

“It was more difficult, but when West Brom were so interested in Dwight Gayle, we knew there was a possibility because we had the second striker with pace and mobility in Yoshinori Muto at the same time. It was a chance to get a second striker with experience of the Premier League.”

The goals were Rondón’s first of the season in the Premier League and took Newcastle out of the relegation zone.