Newcastle 18-Goal Striker Target Named In Club's Pre-Season Tour Squad

Newcastle United target Charlie Austin has been named in Queens Park Rangers' 24-man touring party heading to Italy despite speculation linking him with a move away from Loftus Road. Austin will travel with Chris Ramsey's QPR's side for a nine-day trip to play pre-season friendlies against Shakhtar Donetsk, AS Monaco and Al Ittihad. Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth are just some of the other clubs to have been linked to the forward, for who QPR want £15 million, yet this announcement raises the possibility Austin could remain at Loftus Road past this summer. https://twitter.com/QPRFC/status/619057168373940224 The striker is itching for a move and whatculture.com/nufc understands that Austin would contemplate a transfer to Newcastle - yet the Tyneside club could miss out due to their lack of urgency in making an official bid for the 26-year-old, who may instead be tempted to remain in London. Austin was the fourth-top scorer in the Premier League in 2014-15 having bagged an impressive 18 goals despite playing for a side who finished bottom of the table and he has just a year left on his Loftus Road deal. Newcastle need to add firepower to their strikeforce because they managed just 40 Premier League goals throughout the entirety of the previous campaign - and top-scorer Papiss Cisse€™s future at the club is in doubt, meaning they will have just Ayoze Perez, Adam Armstrong and the goal-shy Emmanuel Riviere as forwards next year. They have turned their attention to the highly-coveted Austin, who will want to remain in the Premier League - and that cannot be with QPR next season following their relegation. Austin has scored 107 goals in 199 league games for Swindon, Burnley and QPR since the beginning of 2010. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.