Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez to miss out on Stevan Jovetic signing for the second time with the striker set to join Monaco in £10m switch

  • Rafa Benitez will again fall short in his attempt to sign striker Stevan Jovetic 
  • Newcastle were hopeful of securing the forward, who will now move to Monaco 
  • Benitez was on the brink of signing Jovetic for Liverpool in the summer of 2009
  • A £10m deal is expected to see him switch to Monaco to replace Kylian Mbappe 

Rafa Benitez will miss out on the signing of Stevan Jovetic for the second time when he joins Monaco.

The Newcastle boss was hoping to complete a deal for the Inter Milan forward in the coming days but he is now on the verge of a £10million move to last season’s Champions League semi-finalists, who will lose striker Kylian Mbappe to PSG this week.

It will not be the first time that Benitez has missed out on Jovetic. He wanted to sign him for Liverpool in the summer of 2009 and the deal was all but agreed until the club’s owners blocked the transfer because of concerns over cost. 

Rafa Benitez will miss out on the signing of Stevan Jovetic for the second time in his career

Rafa Benitez will miss out on the signing of Stevan Jovetic for the second time in his career

The Newcastle boss once tried to sign the Monaco-bound forward during his Liverpool days

The Newcastle boss once tried to sign the Monaco-bound forward during his Liverpool days

Jovetic then scored twice in Fiorentina’s 2-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League.


The Montenegro international finally joined Manchester City in 2013 but scored just 11 times in two seasons.

Benitez remains desperate to sign a new striker and is willing to sell last season’s top scorer Dwight Gayle in a bid to raise funds.

Leaked photos show Jovetic wearing a Monaco No 10 shirt - the number of Kylian Mbappe

Jovetic will be brought in by the French champions to replace the departing Kylian Mbappe

Meanwhile, Newcastle playmaker Siem de Jong is set to rejoin Ajax for £4m, three years after arriving for £6m. 

His time at St James' Park has been plagued by injury and illness and he has managed just 26 appearances, scoring twice.