Newcastle have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Norwich City’s Jacob Murphy after he was left out of his side’s squad for their friendly against Cambridge.
The Canaries announced their starting XI and substitutes for Saturday’s game on their official Twitter account, and while there was a Murphy on the team sheet, it was Jacob’s twin brother Josh:
Game day! #ncfc
City's XI: Gunn; Martin, Zimmermann, Klose; Wildschut, Vrancic, Godfrey, Husband; Naismith, Jerome, Jo. Murphy.
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) July 15, 2017
Subs: Matthews, Oliveira, Pritchard, Lewis, Tettey, Maddison, Franke. #ncfc
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) July 15, 2017
The news of his absence will be a huge boost to Newcastle, who have been actively pursuing the 22-year-old winger over the summer, with the player said to be keen on a potential move following a rejected £8million offer.
His omission comes just hours after the Chronicle reported that a fresh £10million bid had been submitted by the Magpies for his services, although this still falls short of his reported £16million valuation set by Norwich.
Murphy broke into the first team at Carrow Road last season, going on to make 40 appearances across all competitions, hitting the back of the net eight times and adding a further eight assists to his tally.
He spent the summer on international duty with England’s Under-21 side, making four appearances during their Under-21 European Championship campaign and helping them reach the semi-finals.
He is said to have returned to his club last week along with fellow countryman Angus Gunn but while the goalkeeper starts for the Canaries today, Murphy is a notable absentee.