Newcastle United have rejected a £15million offer from Stoke City for Matt Ritchie, according to Chronicle Live.
The outlet claim that the Potters hold strong interest in the winger but Newcastle have deemed their latest offer as unacceptable.
The report reveals that Toon boss Rafael Benitez has been quoted some astronomical fees for transfer targets Kenedy and Andros Townsend in recent days, so the club are reluctant to sell Ritchie for less than what they feel he’s worth.
It is understood that unless they receive an acceptable offer for the Scotland international, he will stay at St. James Park next season, as Benitez won’t sanction any sale unless a suitable replacement can been found.
OPINION
Mike Ashley and Rafael Benitez are doing the best thing for their club at the moment. They need to get the best fee that they can for Matt Ritchie, if he does want to leave, as any replacement is likely to cost more than they’d receive for the 28-year-old winger. As well as a football club, Newcastle United is a business and it needs to be run like one, they can’t sell players for less than they’re worth and make losses on transfers, it wouldn’t be financially viable. Even if the player does want to leave, he’ll need to wait until a suitable bid is made, then Benitez can get to work on securing a replacement for a similar fee. In any case, the signings of either Kenedy or Andros Townsend would be great replacements, even if they do cost a bit more, whether Ashley will agree to that remains to be seen.
