Newcastle have been handed a bitter transfer blow over their pursuit of 38-cap Croatian striker triker Andrej Kramaric, according to the Newcastle Chronicle.
The newspaper reports on their website that Hoffenheim – who finished third in the Bundesliga last season – have valued their 5’8″ (source: Transfermarkt) forward at a staggering £43.7 million, handing another transfer blow to boss Rafael Benitez as he looks to expand his attacking options next season.
Hoffenheim reportedly had a bid of £26.2 million in January from an unnamed Italian club, but this was rejected by the German outfit who value their player at a higher price, of which Newcastle have swiftly been put off by.
OPINION
Benitez seems to have had the club linked to a number of talented players this season, but also seems to have had a number of transfer blows too. He does not have much to spend and when clubs overprice their players like Hoffenheim has done here, they immediately rule themselves out and resign the player to another club who can afford them. The 26-year-old netted 13 goals during last season and that was reason enough for Benitez to spark an interest in him. Benitez needs a higher budget if he wants to compete for players like Kramaric as he is not going to get the striking talents he desires on a small budget. The Croatian international would have been a perfect addition to Benitez’s side and unless Hoffenheim lower their asking price, United are not going to land one of their top transfer targets – they need a prolific talisman to spearhead the attack before next season starts. Unfortunately, Newcastle will miss out on this signing and will need to look for cheaper players.