Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed to reporters that the Magpies are continuing to look for more recruits before the end of the transfer window next month, and they are “close” on some targets.
The Spanish boss has revealed however that clubs are pushing up their asking prices as they are competing against Premier League clubs who have large transfer budgets with the windfall coming from the new TV rights deal. When asked by the Evening Chronicle about whether the club would continue to spend, Benitez replied:
“Yeah. We were moving quickly at the beginning and then the Premier League teams started to spend some money. Then everybody thought the prices will be higher then it becomes more difficult. But still we have some things behind the scenes and we are close.”
It is believed that the Magpies are looking in three positions; centre back, midfield and up front. In midfield, they have been linked with a move for Tottenham’s Alex Pritchard while up front both Fulham striker Ross McCormack and Ipswich Town’s Daryl Murphy have also been linked with moves to St James’ Park. The Northern Echo believe that Newcastle have made several enquiries about McCormack in the last few weeks.
