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The Premier League season has now finally concluded, and Newcastle United signed off their campaign with an impressive 4-0 win over Fulham on Sunday. The victory ended another solid season under the guidance of Rafa Benitez, whose contract is up in the coming weeks, with a new deal remaining uncertain at this stage.

Salomon Rondon is another figure whose future is uncertain after he returned to West Brom after his loan deal at Newcastle ended. The Venezuelan scored 11 league goals this season, which works out as 26% of his team's total, and he also played a crucial role in instilling the overall tactical approach.

Given the speculation surrounding Rondon's signature being made permanent, Newcastle may find themselves in a position this summer whereby they have to search for alternatives. So with a view to the summer, let's take a look at some options that may be able to fulfill Rondon's role.

What does Rondon do?

Before searching for alternatives, it's important to identify exactly what Rondon provides for Newcastle. His physical frame is crucial, as he stands at 6ft 1 inches tall and is often tasked with operating in isolation and holding up the ball due to Benitez's defensive approach. In addition to being physically imposing, though, Rondon is also fairly mobile, which is a rare combination of qualities.

He's also very rarely injured, with a reliable history behind him, and in terms of the measurable offensive output that he offers, his attacker radar is pictured below based on his performance per 90 minutes this season.

(Image: @DistanceCovered)

His radar size is obviously influenced by the team he's playing for, considering Newcastle attack less in general than most leading sides in Europe. Nevertheless, it's clear he's a striker who both scores and provides for those around him, with a high xG which effectively indicates he's inclined to get on the end of chances.

Transfer options

Given Rondon's general contribution has been vaguely identified, let's take a look at some players that would provide something similar.

Ishak Belfodil (Hoffenheim)

In terms of physicality, Ishak Belfodil is even taller than Rondon, standing 6ft 4 inches tall, and he's also scored a fair amount of goals at Hoffenheim this season. He's scored 15 in the Bundesliga in just under 2000 minutes, which is a solid return, and it's resulted in his minutes per goal being able to rival the best strikers in Europe.

His offensive output is captured in the radar below, in comparison to Rondon.

(Image: @DistanceCovered)

Evidently, he's a very active striker in regard to aspects that can be measured, but the downside, however, is that he lacks Rondon's mobility, and he's slow as a result of his height. He's operated as a rotation option for most of the season, so it's reasonable to suggest that he'd be attainable.

Haris Seferović (Benfica)

Haris Seferović appears to offer a similar profile to Rondon, but he's slightly taller and also two years younger. The Swiss international would be difficult to attain given Benfica have already sold Luka Jovic and will likely also sell Joao Felix, but nevertheless, he's a suitable candidate.

Seferovic is natural when it comes to holding up play and playing with his back to goal, and he thrives when players are willing to run beyond him, such as Miguel Almiron for example. He's not the quickest, but he's been clinical in Portugal this season, with 21 goals scored.

His attacker radar is pictured below, with a strong output clearly showcased.

(Image: @DistanceCovered)

Evidently, it's very impressive, with roughly the same shape posted as Rondon, indicating their similarity, but a much greater size. This basically means that he's doing what Rondon does but on a larger scale, due to the quality of the Portguese top division lacking in comparison to England, and because of the fact that Benfica regularly dominate most opponents. Nevertheless, he's quite clearly a top striker in the mould that Newcastle desire.

Lucas Alario (Bayer Leverkusen)

Perhaps the best option stylistically, although he would likely be the most expensive, is Lucas Alario. The Argentine striker is just 26 years-old compared to Rondon who's now 29, and he also has roughly the same physical build.

Alario has scored 11 in roughly around the same amount of minutes as Belfodil, but his general play is more complete, with a proficient technical level to his game. He also has a solid injury history, and his radar is pictured below alongside Rondon's.

(Image: @DistanceCovered)

He would need to improve his support play in terms of providing assists for teammates, but ultimately, Alario appears to be a very suitable option. The main issue appears to be that Newcastle would probably have to invest a transfer fee of around £30m to secure his services, which may be unrealistic.