No Pléa bargain for Toon as Nice price for striker quoted as £27m

NEWCASTLE United are believed to have had a bid rejected for Nice striker Alassane Pléa.

The Magpies have expressed their interest in the 25-year-old in the last 24 hours, but have been quoted a fee of around £27m for the ex-Lyon man.

United’s offer is understood to have fallen short of the asking price on a day in which Fulham and West Ham United have also been credited with bids for the player. There is also additional interest from Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, with Nice braced for further bids after the striker missed the start of pre-season training today.

Negotiations for the striker are complicated further by the fact that Lyon are entitled to 20% of any future sell-on fee.

And, while news of the first bid being knocked back may be disappointing for some supporters, it is at least an indication that funds have been made available to Rafa Benitez.

Newcastle are also hoping to rake in £20m from the sale of Aleksandar Mitrovic, with Fulham keen on the Serbian international, while a further £5m ould be recouped for Chancel Mbemba, who is desperate for a move to FC Porto.

Meanwhile, another Benitez target – Salomon Rondon – is wanted in Turkey by Besiktas.

It would only take £16.5m to sign Rondon but Newcastle were initially put off by the overall package of the transfer, which includes add-ons such as agent fees.

Whether Besiktas’ interest in Rondon lures Newcastle back into the race remains to be seen but Benitez is keeping an open mind with five weeks left of the window.