Newcastle have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Norwich City’s Jacob Murphy after the player turned down an approach from Crystal Palace, according to the Chronicle.
The newspaper claim on their website that the 23-year-old is a boyhood supporter of the Magpies, and rejected a potential move to their Premier League rivals in order to try force through a move to St James’ Park.
Newcastle have already seen an £8million bid rejected for the England Under-21 international, and this latest news comes just hours after the Northern Echo reported that the club would be submitting a £10million ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ offer as they refuse to be drawn into a bidding war.
The Chronicle have previously claimed that Norwich value the player at £16million, but Rafael Benitez’s side are said to be unwilling to pay that much for a youngster without any top flight experience, although he still remains their top target.
Murphy broke through into the first team at Carrow Road last season to make 40 appearances for the senior side, having made just three the campaign before.
A winger who is able to operate on either side of the midfield, he scored eight goals and delivered another eight assists on the way to the Canaries eighth placed finish.
He also managed to earn himself a place in the England Under-21 side for this summer’s Under-21 European Championships, playing in all four games as the young lions succumbed to Germany on penalties.