Newcastle’s offer for Beckford is rejected

31 December 2009 10:25
NEWCASTLE have stepped up their interest in Jermaine Beckford by tabling a £1.25m offer for the striker, but Leeds officials have rejected their opening gambit and insisted their club's leading scorer will not be allowed to leave on the cheap.[LNB] Magpies chiefs made a firm approach earlier this week in an attempt to tie up a deal before the transfer window officially reopens tomorrow morning.[LNB] Having tracked 26-year-old Beckford for the best part of two seasons, Newcastle officials finally made formal contact with their counterparts at Elland Road and offered £1.25m for the striker's services.[LNB] While the London-born forward has scored 19 goals in 27 appearances this season, Magpies owner Mike Ashley is reluctant to pay much more than that for a player who is out of contract in the summer, and would therefore be available for nothing in June.[LNB] Ashley is also understood to feel that Beckford's lack of Premier League experience should mitigate against a higher fee.[LNB] Leeds officials feel differently, however, and Newcastle's initial offer was rejected out of hand for being too low.[LNB] With promotion to the Championship looking likely given the 11-point advantage Leeds currently hold over the play-off positions, manager Simon Grayson is aware of the possible detrimental impact that selling Beckford could have on his side.[LNB] Leeds owner Ken Bates is understood to share such concerns, and it is expected that the pair will hold out for a fee in excess of £2m.[LNB] Indeed, Newcastle could have to double their initial offer if they are to prise Beckford from Elland Road during the January transfer window.[LNB] Newcastle boast alternative transfer targets in attack, including former loanee Marlon Harewood, but Beckford has topped their wanted list for quite a while and they are unlikely to end their interest without a fight.[LNB] Hughton is desperate to sign a striker next month, and is equally keen to add another centre-half, with Sheffield United's Matt Kilgallon expected to join within the next fortnight.[LNB] The Magpies manager remains adamant that no one will be leaving St James' Park during the January window, and that even extends to fringe players such as forgotten midfielder Geremi.[LNB] Geremi has made just three Championship starts this season, and with his contract due to expire next summer, it had been thought that Newcastle could look to engineer a deal that would enable them to remove at least part of the African's £60,000-a-week wage bill from their books.[LNB] Hughton, however, insists that will not be happening, and claims Geremi remains an integral part of the squad.[LNB] The Cameroon international links up with his national squad on January 4 ahead of the African Cup of Nations in Angola, but once that tournament is over, he will return to the North-East.[LNB] At this moment in time, Geremi remains a contracted player here, and I don't see that changing, said Hughton. At present, we're in a fairly healthy position in terms of the squad, and we haven't had too many injuries, particularly in the midfield areas.[LNB] That has restricted the amount of time Geremi has been on the field, and there have been times when he has found himself out of the 18.[LNB] But that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a job to do, and it doesn't mean we won't need him in the second half of the season. He's still a player of good quality, and that's why he's been selected to play for his national team.[LNB] Another midfielder who has not played much this season is Joey Barton, but Hughton is hoping the controversial Liverpudlian will soon be fit to resume training.[LNB] Barton has not played since injuring his foot in September's 3-1 win over Plymouth, but his recovery is nearing its completion and he could be back in the first-team fold in little more than a month.[LNB] We're hoping to have Joey back in training round about the third week in January,[LNB] said Hughton. That's the point where we hope he'll be back training full time.[LNB] After that, there'll be a period of training and building his fitness back up, but provided there are no setbacks, he'll be available for selection after that.[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo