Jose Enrique Nears Newcastle United Return

With Liverpool having informed Jose Enrique that they will allow him to leave on a free should he find another club, the fullback appears as though he could end up at Newcastle United before the end of the day. Enrique spent four seasons with Newcastle before he moved to Liverpool for £7M in 2011.

Enrique’s contract expires in the summer, and Liverpool would not be seeking a transfer fee, happy simply to get the player’s wages off the books for a player who isn’t in manager Jürgen Klopp’s plans and who has been passed on the depth chart by Australian youngster Brad Smith.

Currently, Enrique is on £65k a week with Liverpool and he would have to take a pay cut in order to move on, something that has stood in the way of several past transfers. With only months left on his current deal, though, it could be he will choose to move on in search of better first team chances.

The 30-year-old Spaniard has made 98 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions in his five seasons with the club, but only 20 of them have come in the last three seasons. He has scored two goals for the Reds, both coming in the 2012-13 season.

A series of injuries limited his appearances starting the next year, and on his most recent return to action it appeared as though the time on the sidelines had negatively impacted his physical ability, leaving him a shadow of the at times imposing defender who first arrived at the club.