West Ham "Move Ahead" Of Newcastle In Race For 18-Goal Striker

West Ham United have "moved ahead" of Newcastle United in the race to sign Charlie Austin from Queens Park Rangers this summer, according to reports. The Brentwood Gazette claims that the Hammers are desperate to recruit the forward after losing Enner Valencia to a three-month injury layoff, with former Magpie Andy Carroll also already facing a significant portion of the season out at Upton Park. In fact, it is suggested that Slaven Bilic is willing to offer both cash and Matt Jarvis in part-exchange for Austin.

Last week, Steve McClaren denied that Newcastle had been in "contact" with QPR over Austin's availability, despite various reports having linked the Magpies with a move. Last month, The Daily Mail suggested that Haris Vuckic had been offered as a makeweight in a deal 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 possibly 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 Aston Villa, West Ham, 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 revealed last month 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:

"There have been offers. A player of Charlie's ability, there will always be speculation. "At 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. "At the moment, he's a QPR player and he's working hard in training."

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