Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez says he is ready to break the club’s transfer record as he pursues a 15 goal per-season forward.
The Independent report that Benitez was forced to spend little when he was looking for a striker last summer, with the club eventually paying just £5million for Stoke frontman Joselu.
He said:
If you want to bring a striker with a guarantee of more than 10-15 goals per season, you have to pay money for him for sure.
The Spaniard is currently in talks with the club to extend his stay at St James’ Park as he prepares to enter the final year of his existing contract.
Assurances over what he will be given to spend and his freedom to do so are a key part of the ongoing discussions.
Benitez has insisted that he has no problem working to a budget and would only break the club record if its necessary.
I was always concerned and taking care of the numbers. I was learning in England to work with a business plan, you have to have a realistic business plan and then if you know that, you have to work on that. Does that mean you have to break the record? If it is necessary, you can do it. But if it’s not necessary, it’s just to be sure you have the funds to compete.
