Newcastle undeterred by Beckford price hike

Championship leaders Newcastle United will continue to pursue Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford despite his price tag being doubled by the League One side. Newcastle have been linked to Beckford for a while and a move was thought to have been agreed but The Guardian are now claiming that Leeds have changed their asking price to £3 million following Beckford’s winning goal in the FA Cup against Manchester United at the weekend. This however has reportedly not put Newcastle off and they’re eager to tie up a deal for the 27-year-old.

Beckford’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and Leeds do not wish to lose their top asset for nothing but there is a fear that their promotion bid would take a big blow if Beckford was sold and thus the club are demanding a substantial fee to ensure that he can be suitably replaced. Manager Simon Grayson declared

“We are not looking to sell Jermaine but money talks with any player.”

Fears that Premiership clubs will now move to interfere with the transfer and sign Beckford for themselves have meant that Newcastle boss Chris Hughton is more eager than ever to get his hands on his man. Hughton called for calm though, saying

“We’re in for a striker and Jermaine is one of a few players we are interested in. But we won’t panic. We have to be patient, there’s a long month ahead of us. Jermaine’s profile now goes up because the FA Cup game was on TV but everybody knows that was just one game. There is no deal done yet for Jermaine but all I can say is that we’re working very hard on bringing in new players and I am very confident we will get the ones we want.”

Newcastle are also believed to have launched a bid for Sheffield United defender Matt Kilgallon whilst Geremi is being linked with a move to Turkey.

[Is there any substance to this and should this rumour Fly or Die?]

About the Author

Mark Greenwood

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Despite being born in Enfield, North London, I have spent the majority of my life living in southern Spain. Within that time I spent seven years as a season ticket holder at local club Malaga, who consequently became my team of choice. During this period I became a big follower of Spanish football which has remained with me since returning to England and I pride myself on my knowledge of the European leagues

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