Newcastle And Aston Villa "Put Off" By 18-Goal Hitman's Exorbitant Wage Demands

Is Charlie Austin pricing himself out of a move to Tyneside?

By Chris Waugh /

Newcastle United and Aston Villa's respective moves for Charlie Austin appear to be faltering with concerns arising over the striker's exorbitant wage demands. The Sunday People claims that the Magpies and the Villans are unwilling to meet the £85,000-a-week wages wanted by the Queens Park Rangers striker, should he move. QPR boss Chris Ramsey confirmed last week that the west London club have rejected more than one offer for Newcastle target Austin during this transfer window - and that the striker himself has also rebuffed some of them.
Leicester City are known to have had a £12 million offer rebuffed earlier in the summer, but it is unclear who the second bid came from - with the likes of Villa, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth and the Magpies also interested in the forward. The 26-year-old netted 18 Premier League goals last season and is one of the most sought-after strikers in England, plus he is entering the final year of his QPR contract. And his current manager at QPR has revealed that the club have rejected more than one bid already for the former Swindon Town and Burnley hitman this off-season. Quoted in The Mirror, Ramsey said:
€œThere have been offers. A player of Charlie€™s ability, there will always be speculation. €œAt the moment, there has been nothing concrete. We€™ve had offers that we€™ve rejected, and we€™ve had offers that Charlie himself has not been happy to take on. €œAt the moment, he€™s a QPR player and he€™s working hard in training.€
But could Austin be pricing himself out a move to either St James' Park or Villa Park due to his wage demands? For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.