Toon want Austin assurances

According to The Northern Echo, while Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley does not agree with QPR’s £15m asking price, the North-East club have had word from Austin’s camp that the 26-year-old would be interested in signing for the Magpies.

McClaren is ready to up the bid to £13.25m – more than double the figure paid by the Rs to Burnley – which they feel will be enough to land their long-term target in a game of brinkmanship.

Newcastle also want assurances over the shoulder injury that scuppered his proposed £5m move to Hull fom Burnley two years ago.

The Magpies have been eyeing a move for the striker – who scored 18 goals in his first season in England’s top flight for a struggling QPR side – for months now and finally it seems like they have been given the green light to proceed with a formal offer.

The former non-league striker has a history of shoulder problems, suffering three dislocations, most recently in 2011.

Should Newcastle look at other attacking options aside from Austin?

The report goes on to say that Steve McClaren is eager to go with a striking pair at St James’s Park next season, and sees Austin as the man to partner Serbian star Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Meanwhile, Dutch global Georginio Wijnaldum is the latest to hit out at Newcastle’s chaotic pre-season schedule.

“What’s harder is that a lot of players’ body-clocks were still on US time”.