Promotion contenders plot to exceed Newcastle asking price for fringe player – reports
By Abigail Withey
Championship club Sheffield Wednesday are preparing to make a £5.6million offer for Newcastle fringe player Grant Hanley, according to a report.
The Chronicle claim that the Championship club are prepared exceed the Magpies’ asking price, and that Rafa Benitez won’t make any attempts to block a move for the 25-year-old centre-back.
This follows a report from the same newspaper last month which stated that Benitez wanted £5.5million to recoup the fee they paid for the defender last summer – meaning Newcastle could be on to receive £100,000 more than their asking fee.
The newspaper then revealed that the Scotland international had also attracted interest from Derby County, but after the club secured Curtis Davies, Sheffield Wednesday became the most likely to swoop on the star.
The Owls are hot contenders for promotion to the top flight next season and SkyBet currently have them joint second favourites at 3/1 to go up.
It is said that the Magpies boss has told the 25-year-old that he’s unlikely to feature in the Premier League squad next season, and so he can make a departure from St. James- Park during the transfer window.
Hanley had a frustrating season with Newcastle and struggled to make an impact at the club.
The Scotsman made just 16 appearances for the club throughout all competitions, which meant he spent most of the season on the sidelines.
Football Insider verdict
Hanley has spent a frustrating season on the sidelines at St. James’ Park and as Newcastle enter the top flight it would be best for both parties if the 25-year-old made an exit. Benitez clearly doesn’t think that the Scotsman is prepared for the Premier League which could result in the boss recruiting a strong centre-back during the transfer window. With plenty of options already, another centre-back addition would see Hanley be even less desirable to Benitez. As Sheffield Wednesday are prepared to offer over the asking price, the Magpies boss should take it and run, as it would mean his funds had been recouped from signing Hanley last summer, and allow the money to be put to better use. The centre-back simply doesn’t fit into the manager’s vision for the club’s Premier League campaign, so he must get rid of any dead wood and start making more of an impact in the transfer window immediately.
In other Newcastle transfer news, a 35-year-old keeper declined a bid from the Magpies before joining Chelsea.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Newcastle breaking news.