CHRIS Hughton admits time is of the essence in his hunt for January reinforcements as Newcastle United await a decision from Leeds on what they have billed a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ £1.5m offer for want-away Jermaine Beckford.
United’s recruitment plans suffered a knockback yesterday as Matthew Kilgallon pledged his future to Championship rivals Sheffield United – although Hughton told The Journal he was seeking clarification from the player before declaring defeat in his bid to sign him. However, strengthened by Beckford having lodged a transfer request late last week to force his move to Newcastle – a development which only came to light yesterday – they still hope to land the striker for less than the £2m that Leeds want to recoup.
United lodged a third offer of £1.5m on Monday after Beckford’s goal-scoring contribution in Leeds’ famous win over Manchester United. And they have told Elland Road officials that they will not be returning with an improved offer. Whether this is brinkmanship or a true reflection of Newcastle’s valuation of Beckford is not known, but sources in West Yorkshire have indicated that a deal will not be swiftly concluded at that price.
They hope to use the interest of Bolton Wanderers, West Brom and Wigan to drive up the player’s price. With Hughton keen to secure his top targets quickly, it may lead United to move on to other targets – including former loan man Marlon Harewood, who remains on United’s radar.
“The ideal scenario would be to get players in as soon as possible so we know where we are but the most important thing is that they are the right players,” the Newcastle manager said.
“We have our targets and by the end of the window we have to make sure that we have strengthened in the positions that we want to strengthen. We are not just looking at one player in every position. I think we have to have other targets that we are able to bring in. It doesn’t always work out that you are able to bring in your number one target.
“But I am still very confident that we will be able to bring in the right player to strengthen our squad before the end of the window.”
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