Newcastle transfer news: Rafa Benitez faces competition from at least nine clubs for Turkey ace Cenk Tosun
NEWCASTLE face competition from at least nine clubs for Turkey striker Cenk Tosun.
Toon boss Rafa Benitez has been scouting the Besiktas ace for 12 months and is considering a January swoop.
But the Turkish outfit claim they have already fielded 10 calls over the in-form hitman.
Club chief Metin Albayrak said: “He just keeps getting better, the more he scores the more confident he gets.
“He just keeps working and trying to improve. Right now, ten clubs are in direct talks with us.”
The Magpies watched Tosun, 26, net twice for Turkey in a 2-2 draw with Finland - taking his tally to five in 11 games for club and country.
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Crystal Palace were weighing up a move this summer, while Tottenham have also been linked with a move.
Besiktas would likely hold out for around £16million, with Benitez yet to learn how much he will have to spend.
Owner Mike Ashley is currently trying to sell the club but his reported asking price of £380m may still be too high.
Dr Daniel Plumley, a football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Current brand value, based on factors such as league standing, revenue potential, fan base and global exposure, has Newcastle valued at around £190-200m.
“This is almost double that, so I would argue it’s a high asking price.
“It’s probably also linked to what Mike Ashley has injected in with regards to his own funds and trying to recoup some of that, which is fair enough, but based on market brand values it might be tough to achieve that figure.”
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