McClaren Denies Newcastle Have "Made Contact" With Top Transfer Target

The Charlie Austin saga just will not end.

by Chris Waugh
Steve McClaren has denied that Newcastle United have been in "contact" with Queens Park Rangers over striker Charlie Austin, despite various reports having linked the Magpies with a move. Earlier this week, The Daily Mail suggested that Haris Vuckic had been offered in a makeweight to sign Austin, with the Magpies unwilling to meet QPR's £15 million asking price. Yet McClaren's assertions after Newcastle's 1-0 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach conflict these reports, and suggest the Magpies head coach is not looking to acquire the 18-goal hitman after all.
McClaren told The Shields Gazette:
"There's been a lot of talk about that throughout the weeks but we've not been in contact with QPR and they've not with us so no. "That's just a name that circulates and has been going around."
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 turned down 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.€
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Contributor

NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.