Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez asked the club to sign Ragnar Klavan and Erik Pieters.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez reportedly asked the club to sign Liverpool’s Ragnar Klavan and Stoke City’s Erik Pieters, but has been left frustrated with transfer business after promises were made to sign a left-back and centre-back.
According to the Chronicle, the Magpies boss wanted to land the two defenders in cut-price deals and hit a wall in potential moves.
According to the Stoke Sentinel, Newcastle made a £2million bid for left-back Pieters and saw that move firmly rejected.
Meanwhile, centre-back Klavan is a player currently on the books at Liverpool and is unlikely to play a main role in the squad this season.
Benitez may get one of his wishes on deadline day, as Sky Sports report on their transfer centre blog (3:33pm, 9 August), that Swansea centre-back Federico Fernandez has arrived at Newcastle for a medical after a £6million deal was agreed.
Newcastle may not have spent the riches this summer that some supporters are crying out for, but they have seen a number of new faces arrive at St James’ Park.
Yoshinori Muto and Salomon Rondon offer them new options in attack, while Martin Dubravka, Fabian Star, Ki Sung-Yueng and Kenedy (loan) have also been added.
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