Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will have to keep his fingers crossed as the summer transfer window gathers pace.
Owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias have proved as stubborn as ever in sticking to their valuations of Pardew’s summer targets, and have already shelved their interest in FC Twente striker Luuk de Jong with the Dutch club holding out for a fee far in excess of what they were prepared to pay.
They were similarly phlegmatic in their pursuit of Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen, who on Monday appeared poised to join Tottenham, pulling the plug on any potential move several weeks ago after learning what would be required to prise him away from the Amsterdam club.
Elsewhere, Newcastle remain actively engaged in the hunt for Twente’s Brazilian-born defender Douglas, whose situation is complicated by his desire to fulfil the residence requirement to be eligible for Holland selection, and Lille full-back Mathieu Debuchy.
The Magpies have, of course, enjoyed significant success in attracting talented players at what have proved to be bargain prices during recent transfer windows, and there is little doubt that they have become victims of their own success to an extent as a result.
However, they remain steadfastly opposed to paying what they consider to be over the odds for the men they want, and are quite prepared to move on to alternative targets just as they have done in the past.
But while their stubborn approach may leave Pardew facing an anxious wait – his players are already back in training with only Romain Amalfitano and Gael Bigirimana added to a squad which has lost Leon Best, Danny Guthrie, Fraser Forster and Alan Smith among others – he can at least comfort himself with the knowledge that they will be equally firm on their valuations of men he would dearly like to retain.
Newcastle handed keeper Tim Krul a new five-year contract in March amid speculation that his services could be in demand this summer, while midfielder Cheick Tiote, who has already been linked with Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal, saw the name of Tottenham added to that list on Monday.
Striker Demba Ba could also be up for grabs with a release clause in his contract, which is active until the end of this month, meaning his situation is largely beyond the club’s control.
However, Pardew has been assured that, Ba aside, anyone who does leave – and he is hoping that situation does not arise – will do so only for the kind of fee that would be impossible to turn down.
That proved to be the case when Ashley accepted Liverpool’s STG35 million offer for striker Andy Carroll, which sparked a furious reaction at the time, but has looked less controversial following the arrivals of Ba and Senegal international team-mate Papiss Cisse since.
That means that any club looking to secure the services of Tiote, for example, would have to find in the region of STG20 million ($A30.6 million) to persuade the Magpies to consider doing business.
Pardew freely admits that his squad is vulnerable to approaches from clubs with far bigger budgets than his and Champions League football to offer potential signings.
But he will hope the spirit fostered on Tyneside in recent seasons, coupled with a return to the Europa League, could prove enough to keep his squad together for the time being at least.
