Is the Newcastle United man heading for the exit at St James’s Park?
Newcastle United striker Daryl Murphy has told The Chronicle that he could leave the club this summer.
The Republic of Ireland international joined Newcastle last August for £3.5 million but found first-team opportunities hard to come by in the North East.
The 34-year-old started only seven Championship matches, but still managed five goals to help the Magpies win promotion back to the Premier League.
Dwight Gayle was Rafael Benitez’s first-choice hitman last season and Murphy’s first-team prospects look no brighter as they embark on their return to the big time.
The former Ipswich Town marksman, who helped his country to a 3-1 friendly win over Uruguay in Dublin earlier this month, has now told The Chronicle that Benitez told him that the club would listen to offers, adding that he is okay with it.
“He texted me after the Uruguay game to say well done.
“I spoke to him last week about my future and he thanked me for what I had done and said they were going to listen to a few offers. I said ‘that’s fine’.
“I always knew I had been brought in there to do a specific job, to help the club get promoted. I had no illusions that I was going to be starting for Newcastle in the Premier League if we got up.
“I have got another year left on my contract and I will go back there for pre-season and just look at my options.”
The Irishman is unlikely to be short on offers from Championship clubs. His record of five goals in seven starts was a decent return last season, but Murphy was a 25-goal striker as recently as the 2014-15 campaign, so he is likely to be a subject of interest.
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