Wally Puts £16m Price Tag On Luuk de Jong

07 July 2012 10:41
Steve McClaren has warned Newcastle they will have to pay £16m to sign Luuk de Jong

McClaren says the Geordies will have to make him an offer he "cannot refuse" to take the striker from FC Twente.  De Jong has been a long-time target of Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, although the Premier League side are facing competition from Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach said to be ready to table a bid.

But McClaren has dug his heels in with the FC Twente board over the proposed sale of the starlet as well as Brazilian defender Douglas to the Magpies.

Douglas, a powerful centre-back, is reportedly being tracked by Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa as well as Newcastle.

McClaren: "We do not have to sell and, football being football, everybody has his price.

"For Luuk de Jong to leave this club then it will have to be a very good offer, one that we cannot refuse, and at the moment no-one has given us that yet.

"There are more than just rumours. There is obvious interest as everyone knows.

"Of course we want to keep Luke de Jong and we want to keep our squad of players as it is. We want to build and not to take players away.

"We have already sold Ola John and I have told the club I do not want to sell any more.

"The timing has to be right he leaves.

"I would advise Luke to spend another year establishing himself in Holland doing it again, getting 25 or 30 goals and being a top striker, another year more mature, another year closer to the national team as he is in the squad now.

"Any club taking him now would not be getting the best of him. They will be getting the best of him in a year's time - if they can afford to do that."

 

Source: FOOTYMAD