Hull City’s huge asking price surely scuppers Newcastle United’s Sam Clucas hopes

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Newcastle United were linked with Hull City midfielder Sam Clucas recently but The Tigers really don’t want him to leave.

If you want a clear indication of the ridiculous nature of the transfer market, don’t focus on the eye watering sums spent on Romelu Lukaku, Neymar and, quite possibly, Philippe Coutinho this summer.

The fact that Hull City are demanding £20 million for Sam Clucas, as reported by The Sun, is enough to make anyone shake their head in disbelief. In fact, Burnley’s most recent offer of £10 million perhaps seemed a little steep for a player with one season of Premier League football and zero England caps on his CV.

Hull boss Leonid Slutsky confirmed recently that he was desperate for Clucas, a player he claims has ‘unbelievable potential’, to remain at the KCom Stadium and help spearhead The Tigers’ return to the Premier League this season, the Hull Daily Mail reports.

And it appears that Hull’s hardline stance may ruin any hopes Newcastle United might have had of making Clucas one of their most impressive summer signings.

£5m more than Alan Shearer

The Sun claimed last month that Clucas, who won Hull’s Player of the Year last season and boosted his reputation despite their relegation, had caught Benitez’s eye with his suitably tigerish performances in the centre of the park.

With Jonjo Shelvey’s indiscipline ringing alarm bells, the playmaker picked up a three game ban for a petulant stamp on Dele Alli, and Jack Colback set to leave according to the Daily Mail, Clucas would add some much needed depth to Newcastle’s midfield.

However, The Magpies have shown a reluctance to match the obscene fees thrown around by their Premier League rivals and owner Mike Ashley admitted recently to Sky Sports that the club were finding it difficult to compete in the transfer market.

Therefore, it appears hugely unlikely that they would pay a club-record fee for Clucas this summer. But will anyone meet Hull’s extraordinary demands?