Newcastle United have failed in their pursuit of the Everton man so does the Magpies boss look elsewhere or stick with what he has?
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Newcastle United have seen a £16million bid rejected by Everton for midfielder James McCarthy.
The Republic of Ireland international has a contract at Goodison Park until the summer of 2020, but he had only featured eight times in the Premier League this season, in part due to a series of minor injuries.
Newcastle already have a very talented squad – arguably the best the Championship has ever seen – but manager Rafa Benitez will know the importance of earning promotion back to the top flight this season and he will be leaving nothing to chance between now and May.
That could see more new faces arrive at St. James’ Park prior to Tuesday’s deadline. However the Mail claims Everton have no intention of parting company with McCarthy, even for the sizeable fee offered by Newcastle.
The Toffees have already added to their squad this month and they may sign more new faces in the coming days.
But even if Newcastle increase their offer for McCarthy, they look likely to be rebuffed, meaning Benitez has a decision to make: Stick with what he already has or bid for an alternative target while he can.
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