Newcastle plot £8m bid for De Jong

Newcastle have made a £8 million bid for FC Twente attacker Luuk de Jong, according to Sky Sports.

The skilful Dutch forward was in Netherlands’ Euro 2012 squad, but did not get a chance to show his ability as the likes of Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were preferred by Bert van Marwijk.

However, with the Oranje’s elimination from the tournament in Ukraine and Poland, Newcastle have made a move to capture the impressive striker, who has scored 39 goals in 76 games for the Enschede-based team.

Steve McClaren’s men are thought to value their star man at around the £12.5 million mark, and as such some negotiation will be needed to facilitate any possible move.

The attempt to sign De Jong will raise further question marks over the future of Demba Ba, who has been heavily linked with a move away from Tyneside.

Newcastle have good links with Twente, as they have signed Cheik Tiote from the Eredivisie side in the recent past.

By Gareth McKnight

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