Newcastle United made bids for Napoli duo Victor Osimhen and Fabian Ruiz this month but saw both rejected by the Italian club.
That’s according to journalist Paolo Bargiggia, who says Newcastle were willing to spend big to get both players in the January transfer window.
The Magpies are busy scrambling to get a host of deals done on deadline day as they look to bolster Eddie Howe’s side for the fight against relegation.
They have bids in for a number of players, having spent this window targeting anyone and everyone as they attempt to spend their newfound fortune on a squad in desperate need of additions.
They’ve been successful with the signings of Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes but have found their efforts elsewhere met with a firm wall of resistance.
Numerous clubs have refused to do business with Newcastle this month unless it was for ridiculous prices, something the Magpies have been left frustrated by.
And it seems Napoli were one of those sides who were keen on negotiating for their stars, although even big offers weren’t enough to tempt them, according to Bargiggia.
“Napoli received offers from Newcastle for the two jewels Osimhen and Fabian Ruiz, around 40 million for the Spaniard; they could have reached even 100 for the former Lille,” CalcioNapoli24 report him saying.
“Napoli turned them down and, the players themselves, were not convinced by the destination.
“The club has to renew the contract of Fabian Ruiz, who, at the moment, is one of the best in the squad and earns 1.5 million.
“My feeling is that if important clubs like Real Madrid show up, it will be hard to keep the player and match certain offers.”
