MIKE ASHLEY could end up having to pay MORE for Steve Bruce than he offered Rafa Benitez to stay at Newcastle.
Bruce’s dream move to Newcastle depends on the Toon paying Sheffield Wednesday a £5million ‘transfer’ fee.
2
That figure is far more than Ashley expected and he would have to stump up even more for Bruce’s coaches Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence.
That takes the whole package closer to £6m.
With wages on top, the final bill will dwarf the £6m Toon owner Ashley offered Benitez to sign a new deal before the Spaniard left last month.
Bruce, 58, took training in Sheffield yesterday but the Geordie boss has already told the Championship club he wants to quit for Toon.
Wednesday’s owner, Thai tuna tycoon Dejphon Chansiri, made sure there was a compensation clause in Bruce’s contract when he joined Owls in January — just in case a Premier League club came in for him.
£50MILLION TO SPEND
SunSport reported a few days that Bruce had held talks with Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley.
Sources claim their chat went well and that Bruce is “excited” about the St James’ Park job.
Bruce will be given more than £50million to spend this summer – with a striker his top priority.
But he has less than four weeks before the transfer window shuts, and the Toon are the only club in the Premier League yet to make a new signing.
Bruce will walk into a storm at St James’ with fans furious with owner Mike Ashley about his imminent appointment.
Yet he is confident he can cope with the criticism and believes this may be his last shot at landing his dream job.
MD Charnley has gone for Bruce after a number of other candidates – including Mikel Arteta, Patrick Vieira and Roberto Martinez – turned him down.
Ex-Toon boss Sam Allardyce’s agent was also sounded out by Charnley last week.
2
