UNITED ‘READY’ TO DO RAFA DEAL
CONTRACT EXTENSION ON THE CARDS FOR BENITEZ
NEWCASTLE United chiefs are understood to be ready to offer Rafa Benitez the contract extension he wants – providing he is prepared to wait for certain requests.
The mood on Tyneside remains sceptical within the club’s fanbase and a range of protests from the Magpie Group have been planned for the next two months.
But Benitez’s future is one thing that could at least be salvaged from the club’s depressing start to the new season.
Benitez is keen to have more financial power at St James’ Park but also wants to make changes at the club’s Academy and wants a better training ground.
The Chronicle has learned that all three of those conditions could be met between over a five-year period – which would be the course of the initial contract offered to Benitez back in June.
However, talks have taken place since then and there has been a healthy dialogue between managing director Lee Charnley and Benitez in the meantime.
Personal terms are not the issue for Benitez and United are prepared to give him the salary agreed back in the summer.
Indeed, Benitez will want to see Ashley loosen the purse strings in the next transfer window, with January potentially an acid test of relations between the Spaniard and the club’s top brass.
The club will spend next month whittling down a shortlist of targets – and The Chronicle understands a clutch of strikers around Europe have been checked out in the last two or three weeks.