Monday 11 July 2016 14:54, UK
Newcastle United have been told to pay £6m to secure the signing of Grant Hanley from Blackburn Rovers.
The Magpies have already had two offers rejected by the Championship side, having seen their latest £4.5m offer turned down over the weekend.
The club completed the signing of Isaac Hayden from Arsenal on a five-year deal on Monday, but are yet to meet Blackburn's evaluation of Hanley, with Rovers holding out for £6m plus potential promotion-based add ons.
Manager Rafael Benitez is keen to add the Scotland international to his defence after seeing Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor depart since Newcastle's relegation last season.
Hanley joined Blackburn's academy at the age of 16 and is currently with the senior squad on their pre-season tour of Austria.
However, he did not feature in the win over SV Reid at the weekend with manager Owen Coyle citing a knee injury picked up in training for his absence.
"Number one, I don't want to be selling Grant Hanley," Coyle told the Northern Echo following Saturday's friendly. "I'll say that openly.
"But obviously we can't stop clubs from admiring our players. It's the same with me. I admire players at other clubs and you go after them.
"But what I would also say is about Grant Hanley's valuation as a player - I hold him in very high esteem. I think he is a very, very good player.
"And I think it's fair to say, in my opinion, they (Newcastle) are nowhere near the valuation of Grant Hanley. I don't want to lose him."
Hanley made 46 appearances for Blackburn last season as they finished 15th in the Championship.
