Newcastle United are preparing a £13million bid for RSC Anderlecht striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to Belgian news outlet HLN.
Swansea City had a £10million bid rejected last week as Anderlecht hope to agree a fee closer to their £15million valuation, but Newcastle are confident £13million will be enough to land the Serbia international – with the Swans reportedly unwilling to match the Belgian outfit’s asking price.
Benfica (Mitrovic’s preferred destination, reportedly) are the only other interested club who pose a serious threat to Newcastle in the hunt for Mitrovic, but they are not able to compete with the Magpies on a financial level.
It was believed that Newcastle had cooled their interest in Mitrovic due to his lucrative wage demands but, after becoming frustrated at the lack of progress made on their proposed £9million move for Wolfsburg striker Bas Dost, the Magpies have reignited their interest in the 23-year-old.
Charlie Austin tops Newcastle’s summer wish-list but Steve McClaren is keen on signing two strikers this summer, in order to pave way for Papiss Cisse’s exit.
Cisse has been heavily linked with a move to Turkey in the past week – with Besiktas and Trabzonspor among the suitors hoping to land the Senegal international. However, according to the Chronicle, Newcastle will not allow the 29-year-old to depart from St James’ Park until a replacement is signed – the same goes for Mike Williamson, Cheick Tiote, etc.
