Newcastle have submitted a new bid to secure the transfer of Norwich City winger Jacob Murphy, according to the Chronicle.
The newspaper claim on their website that the club have submitted an improved bid of £10million after seeing an £8million offer rejected by the Canaries earlier this week.
They also report that manager Rafael Benitez is hoping to have this deal tied up by the end of the weekend, and that managing director Lee Charnley is working hard to secure the Spanish boss’ wish.
The news of the new offer comes just days after the Chronicle reported that the £10million bid would be a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ deal, and that if Norwich did not accept Newcastle’s bid, the Magpies would walk away from a move.
Murphy himself is said to be keen on the move, and it was claimed by Sky Sports News HQ that he got his representatives to hold talks with his club on Thursday over securing his transfer to the North East.
However, Norwich have reportedly valued the 22-year-old at £16million, and Newcastle are said to be unwilling to splash the cash on a player who has no Premier League experience and just one full season in the Championship.
His breakthrough season for Norwich came during the last campaign as he made 40 appearances across all competitions, hitting eight goals and teeing up his team mates for another eight assists.
His fine form earned him a call-up to the England Under-21 squad for their Under-21 European Championship campaign, and he played in all four of their matches, scoring one goal, as the young lions reached the semi-final stage.