Newcastle are said to want ‘significantly more’ to sell the Serbian striker this month.
Newcastle United have rejected an £8m offer from Brighton & Hove Albion for out-of-favour striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to Sky Sports.
The report adds that the Magpies are reluctant to sell the Serbian to a relegation rival and would require a ‘significantly’ higher bid to be persuaded.
Mitrovic has not made a single Premier League start for Newcastle this season, appearing six times off the bench, despite the club’s goalscoring problems.
Rafael Benitez’s side have found the net a measly 22 times in 24 matches, with summer signing Joselu their top scorer on four goals from 21 outings.
Brighton are one of only five top-flight teams to have scored less this season, hence why former Newcastle boss Chris Hughton is in the market for a forward.
The Seagulls have already acquired Jurgen Locadia from PSV Eindhoven for a club-record £14m – fee reported by BBC Sport – but want even more firepower.
They have been linked with Celtic’s £20m-rated Moussa Dembele, as The Daily Record reports, and may have suspected that Mitrovic would be a cheaper alternative.
However, it seems that Newcastle will be driving a hard bargain, and Sky Sports adds that Benitez does not want to let the 23-year-old go without signing a replacement first.
Feyenoord’s Nicolai Jorgensen, who has seven goals in 14 Eredevisie games this season, is their top target but Sky Sports understand a club-record bid has been rebuffed.
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