Bad news for Benitez’s pursuit of Andre Gray this summer, with the Daily Mail revealing that Burnley are willing to play hardball over their star man this summer – slapping a £20m price tag on the soon-to-be out of contract striker.
It was reported in May that Newcastle hoped to seal a £12m deal for Gray – who’d long since been earmarked as a summer target of Benitez’s – however the Daily Mail claim that Burnley have weighed up the price and quality of his potential replacements and are now prepared to let him run down his contract – unless a bid in excess of £20m arrives.
Gray bagged 9 goals in the Premier League for last season and has attracted interest from West Ham, Everton, Tottenham and Wolves, with the latter being linked with a stunning £20m bid for the 25-year old, despite their second tier status.
Whilst he would’ve been a very useful addition – offering devastating pace and an eye for goal – the reported asking price and his rumoured wage demands mean the once likely deal looks all but dead.
Newcastle will no doubt have other irons in the fire, with Lucas Perez’s named having emerged this week, so we can only hope Benitez is backed and given the firepower upfront we sorely lack.