Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley wants manager Rafa Benitez to commit to a new deal before he releases funds for summer signings, according to a reliable journalist.
Alan Nixon, football correspondent for The Sun, further reported on his personal Twitter account on Sunday morning that the Magpies had a deal for Chelsea flyer Kenedy ‘teed up’ amid Ashley’s ultimatum.
Nixon claims that Ashley is yet to green light the move for the Brazilian, who spend half the 2017/18 season on loan at Newcastle, as he waits for Benitez to put pen to paper on a new deal.
OPINION
Ashley’s antics as Newcastle owner just get worse by the day. The reason that Benitez is yet to sign a new deal at St. James’ Park is due to his unwillingness to back him heavily in the market this time around. Ashley is now essentially blackmailing Benitez into signing that new contract to sanction any deals at all, and that is poor conduct from the Newcastle chief. Benitez is known to be keen on a return for Kenedy this summer, and he will be looking to wrap this one up as soon as possible. Whether he will cave and sign a new deal with no backing in sight is however unknown, and you would not blame him for not giving into this sneaky move from Ashley. The Newcastle owner is in fact risking it all with this reported manoeuvre, with Benitez surely tempted to just walk away amid such an unhelpful work environment.
