Newcastle have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Sheyi Ojo after Liverpool told the Magpies that they are not looking to offload him on loan this summer, according to the Shields Gazette.
The newspaper report on their website that following an approach from Newcastle over his availability, they were told that is is unlikely that the 20-year-old winger will be departing Anfield this summer.
The news comes less than 24-hours after reliable north east journalist Lee Ryder, the Chronicle’s chief sports writer, reported the Magpies’ interest on his personal Twitter account:
#nufc have been interested in Sheyi Ojo for a while. Talks going on about a loan at the moment.
— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) June 28, 2017
Ojo is a current England U20 international, and took part in five of this year’s U20 World Cup matches in South Korea as the young lions got their hands on the trophy.
A graduate of the Liverpool academy after joining from MK Dons as a 14-year-old, Ojo has worked his way up to a fringe player at the Reds, having made eight appearances and grabbing three assists for the senior side during his time at Anfield, where he is contracted at until 2020.
A back injury ruled him out of the start of last season, and while he failed to get into the squad for any of Liverpool’s Premier League games, he did earn run outs in their FA Cup third round matches against Plymouth Argyle.
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has only seen one face through the door at St James’ Park this summer, as they secured a permanent deal for winger Christian Atsu from Chelsea after impressing during his time on loan last season.