Newcastle will have to smash their record transfer fee if they are to sign Cedric Bakambu.
According to a report in The Mirror Villarreal have rejected a £22m bid from West Ham for their Congo striker.
Bakambu scored 11 times in La Liga last season alerting English clubs to his ability with the demand for strikers going through the roof.
Rafa Benitez is determined to bring in a quality striker with Bakambu flagged up by his Spanish contacts as a player running into form.
The 26-year-old has played in France and Turkey and has the all round striking attributes that Newcastle are looking for.
After rejecting the bid from West Ham, Villarreal are likely to come to the negotiating table if an offer of £25m is received. Newcastle’s record transfer fee is the £16m deal in 2005 that bought Michael Owen from Real Madrid.
Having watched a number of bids stall Newcastle are ready to go in with a high bid in order to trim down the length of time needed to get a deal completed.
