Newcastle United are unable to sign Everton defender Leighton Baines because his wage demands are too high, according to the Chronicle.
The newspaper reports on their website that the Magpies have dismissed the idea of signing the veteran left-back, who has proven himself as a set-piece specialist, as they cannot commit to his high wage demands.
The Everton mainstay has one year left to run on his current contract at Goodison Park and has alerted the likes of United after being deemed surplus to requirements, especially now that Lucas Digne appears likely be joining the club.
He has spent 11 years at Everton after joining from Wigan in 2007.
OPINION
The news that Newcastle are dismissing the idea of signing Leighton Baines because of high wage demands does not come as a surprise. They risk losing out on any target if they demand too much money, and this is the case with Baines – they simply do not have the finances to pay him because the owner has not given his backing. In the future, if the owner continues to not give his backing in terms of transfers, then United will find themselves losing out time and again for top-quality players. These type of players do not necessarily come with high wage demands, but boss Rafa Benitez would feel a lot more secure knowing that they can match a player’s requests. In Baines, they have lost out on someone who could have provided extra cover at wing-back, but the Spaniard may need to look elsewhere for a cheaper option.
