OPINION
Anyone who watched a reasonable amount of Newcastle United last season would have been aware at just how desperately they needed a new striker.
The first half of the campaign saw summer signing Joselu struggle up top, putting in a lot of effort but his lack of quality meant there was no real reward, while Dwight Gayle could not hit the ground running once he had fully recovered from injury.
The less said about Aleksandar Mitrovic the better, and when he was shipped out on loan in January, there were hopes that Islam Slimani could be the man to fire the Magpies to safety.
Again, it did not go as planned.
Injuries ruined his chance of starring for Rafael Benitez’s men, although his time at St James’ Park was cut short through his own actions, a kick at a West Brom player earning him a three game ban.
This summer, Newcastle need some proven talent up front or risk suffering at the hands of their Premier League opponents – but they have been handed a massive bombshell in their hopes of capturing a quality centre forward.
The Chronicle claim on their website that agents who represent some top flight stars believe that the base asking price for a proven star from any top league will be £25million, nearly £10million over the Magpies’ record spend, which was Michael Owen back in 2005.
Owner Mike Ashley has never dished out that sort of money during his time at St James’ Park and it is unlikely he is about to start now – even if Benitez is desperately seeking the talent to bolster his side.
It leaves the Spanish boss in serious trouble this summer, for without the funds he will be left scraping the bottom of the bargain barrel, and Newcastle will be stuck with another Joselu.
Until the Sports Direct owner loosens his grip on the purse strings, Newcastle will have to settle for sub-par signings, and that is a dangerous game in the cut-throat world of the Premier League.