Newcastle United appear to be in with a good chance of keeping Jamaal Lascelles this summer despite interest from West Ham United.
Lascelles has played a vital role in ensuring that the Magpies’ return to the Premier League has not been a brief one. Rafa Benitez’s side put together a stunning run of form during the second-half of the campaign – beating the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea – to not only move away from the bottom three but also seal a top-half finish.
Unsurprisingly, Lascelles’ form has attracted attention from Newcastle’s top flight rivals. The Sun on Sunday (27/05; page 65) reports that the Hammers are eyeing a move for the 24-year-old as Manuel Pellegrini gears up for his first season at the London Stadium. However, Newcastle’s asking price appears to have put the Irons off.
The Sun on Sunday suggests that West Ham value Lascelles at around £15 million, but Newcastle are ready to hold their ground and demand £30 million before they sanction the centre-back’s exit this summer.
It remains to be seen if any of their other rivals are more interested in meeting the Magpies’ asking price, but it is certainly a boost for Benitez that he does not appear to be heading to West Ham.
Losing Lascelles to a big-spending top six side would be bad enough, but to sell him to a team that Newcastle are probably expecting to battle next term would be an extremely worrying statement in regards of the Magpies’ ambition.
They should be looking to keep hold of their best players and strengthen their options further rather than look to rebuild after allowing one of their key men to join a team whose targets for next season are likely to be extremely similar.
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