Leicester "Have £12m Bid Rejected" For Newcastle Target Charlie Austin

Leicester City have reportedly had a £12 million bid for Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin rejected - meaning yet another club have entered the fray for the Newcastle United target. The Magpies look set to do battle with the likes of Chelsea, AFC Bournemouth, West Bromwich Albion, Southampton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa for the forward€™s signature this summer following QPR€™s relegation to the Championship - but the west London club want upwards of £15 million for the forward. However, that has not deterred the Foxes from placing an opening offer of £12 million, according to Sky Sports - and now a bidding war is likely to ensue, which will not be welcomed by the Magpies.

The striker is itching for a move and whatculture.com/nufc understands that Austin would welcome a transfer to Newcastle - yet the Tyneside club could miss out due to their lack of urgency in making an official bid for the 25-year-old. 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. Have Leicester City, and not Newcastle United, won the race for his signature? For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.