Miss out on move to Tyneside despite need for defensive cover

agreed with Porto, who are only offering around £6m for Mbemba at the moment.

Once Mbemba departs, Benitez will have just three senior centrebacks to select in Jamaal Lascelles, Florian Lejeune and Ciaran Clark.

Under-23 centre-half Josef Yarney has been training with the first-team squad and played the full 90 minutes of Newcastle’s 2-0 friendly victory over St Patrick’s Athletic on Tuesday - but Benitez wants to recruit a versatile defender to provide greater depth at the back.

Reyes’ availability on a Bosmanfree transfer has alerted Newcastle to the defender, who has played 53 times for Mexico - but as things stand it appears unlikely the 25-year-old will be a Magpie come the start of the new season.

Alongside a versatile defender who can play centre-half, Benitez wants to bring in additional full-back cover.

At the moment, Newcastle only have Paul Dummett, DeAndre Yedlin and Javier Manquillo who are out-and-out full-backs in their firstteam squad following the release of Jesus Gamez and Massadio Haidara last month.

Jamie Sterry is on the books still too but United could sell the youngster while Isaac Hayden can cover in on the defensive flanks - but even he has asked to leave the club, though Benitez wants to keep the midfielder.

Cal Roberts and Victor Fernandez - both under-23 wingers who were called up to the first-team squad who travelled to Ireland - played as makeshift full-backs against St Patrick’s, highlighting United’s pressing need to sign defensive reinforcements as soon as possible. NEWCASTLE United’s top striker target is Salmon Rondon – with the Magpies having passed up an opportunity to re-sign Islam Slimani.

The 30-year-old Leicester City forward spent the second half of last season on loan at United, but played just 131 minutes of football and failed to score a goal.

A persistent thigh injury restricted his gametime on Tyneside, before a retrospective three-match ban for a needless off-the-ball kick at West Bromwich Albion’s Craig Dawson saw the Algeria international’s disappointing loan spell terminated early.

Portuguese clubs, including Sporting Lisbon, are keen on the Foxes striker – but are struggling to meet financial terms Leicester are demanding, or match Slimani’s wage demands.

Such an impasse saw Slimani’s name tentatively floated back Newcastle’s way earlier in the summer but – given his poor loan spell, and the fact the Algerian was not even on Rafa Benitez’s initial list of January striker targets – the Magpies never seriously considered re-signing the forward.

Instead Benitez has made Rondon his key striker target, given that Alassane Plea joined Borussia Monchengladbach last week for £22million – £2m more than United are believed to have offered.

During the final three weeks of the window, signing a proven top-flight centre-forward is Benitez’s priority – and the Spaniard has suggested it is a case of “when”, rather than “if”, a striker will arrive, and hopes to have a new attacker in place by the time United fly to Portugal in seven days’ time.

Rondon has a £16.5m release clause in his West Brom contract, but Newcastle are yet to trigger that option in his deal - and instead floated a season-long loan to the Baggies, who dismissed such a suggestion out of hand.

A Venezuela international, 28-year-old Rondon has scored 24 goals in 108 Premier League games for West Brom since joining the West Midlands club in 2015. Islam Slimani’s future is unlikely to be at Newcastle