Newcastle United failed to sign Feyenoord striker Nicolai Jorgensen in January and Premier League rivals Southampton aim to take full advantage.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley spent the entire January window with his hands in his pockets but suddenly, with the clock ticking down, appeared to arm manager Rafa Benitez with the funds he was so desperate for.
Though, despite all the early excitement, Ashley was not willing to go overboard and pay Feyenoord £20 million for their Danish striker Nicolai Jorgensen, The Chronicle reports.
Sky Sports claimed that Newcastle saw a bid of £15 million rejected for a player whose 21 goals and 11 assists fired the Rotterdam giants to their first Eredivisie title this century last season, but with Feyenoord refusing to budge on their asking price, Ashley handed Benitez the crocked Leicester City loanee Islam Slimani.
And now Newcastle may be facing up to the prospect that they have missed out on Jorgensen, who admitted in quotes reported by the Chronicle that he dreams of the Premier League, for good.
Jorgensen has just seven league goals and has not hit the net in 10 games with Feyenoord well off the pace, but he could still be a fine addition for a Saints side lacking a presence in attack in the injury-enforced absence of Charlie Austin.
In 29 Premier League games, Southampton have scored 29 goals.
And after signing only Guido Carrillo from Monaco in January for £19 million, Mauricio Pellegrino’s side still have plenty of money to play with after Virgil van Dijk left for Liverpool for £75 million, burning a huge whole in the Saints’ pockets.
They should have no trouble outbidding cash-strapped Newcastle now.
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