Newcastle Transfer News Round-Up: Every Player The Magpies Have Been Linked With From June 8th-14th
13. Charlie Austin
** One of United's preferred media partners, the Daily Mirror, also reported this week that Newcastle have already put a deal for the England froward in place** Newcastle United and their Premier League rivals have been told they must stump up at least £15 million if they want to prise Charlie Austin away from Queens Park Rangers this summer. The Magpies look set to do battle with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton for the forwards signature this summer following QPRs relegation to the Championship. And, despite hoping that £10 million would prove enough to bring Austin to St James Park, The Mirror claim Newcastle will have to part with 50% more than that if they really do want the forward. The 25-year-old refused to be drawn on where his future lay during his England press conference last week, neither confirming nor denying he would be at Loftus Road come August. When asked about whether he would remain at QPR next season, Austin simply responded:
What will be, will be.
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. And QPR boss Chris Ramsey, speaking a couple of weeks ago, said of his strikers future:
I think it will be difficult to hold on to him (Austin). Goalscorers are the people everybody wants at the end of the season. Im hoping that he stays but it would be naive of me to say for sure he is going to stay here. He wont go with my blessing. I want him to stay. But whatever happens, people have got careers and they have journeys that they are on an ambitions they want to fulfil. And Im sure Charlie will consider that when he makes his decision.
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 Cisses future at the club is in doubt, meaning they will have just Ayoze Perez, Adam Armstrong and the goalless 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.
