Newcastle United Fans Divided Amid Speculation Linking Christian Atsu to Relegation Rivals West Ham

West Ham are interested in Newcastle winger Christian Atsu, according to reports. Goal report that West Ham are reportedly seeking a replacement for Andre Ayew, who they are looking to offload to former club Swansea.

These reports have split opinion among Magpies fans, with some incensed by the suggestion of losing the Ghanaian international, whilst others seem happy for him to go.

The former Chelsea man, who plies his trade on the left wing, has registered two goals and two assists in 19 league appearances this season, a total that arguably does not warrant the £40m some Newcastle fans are hoping for. 

Despite these reports, according to the Daily Star, Rafa Benitez will not be selling any of his first-teamers in this month's window. He told the Daily Star: 

''We cannot sell players that are playing because we would need to replace them with better players and in January, it takes a lot of money to convince them to come here.

“So we are not thinking of selling those that are already playing.”

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Atsu is considered one of these, only missing out in four of Newcastle's league games this season. If the move were to happen, Atsu would be vying for a place with one of West Ham's top performers in recent weeks, Arthur Masuaku. 

The skillful French man has put in some great performances since David Moyes' arrival, including a man of the match performance in a win over current Champions Chelsea.

Newcastle currently sit dangerously close to the relegation zone, with just three points between them and the bottom three and losing Atsu could weaken their attack significantly.