Newcastle will take January spending above £50m to land Saido Berahino from West Brom

NEWCASTLE will go back to West Brom with an improved offer for Saido Berahino after having a bid of £21.2million rejected last night.

 

Newcastle will lodge another bid for Saido Berahino

 

Steve McClaren plans to sign two strikers before Monday's 11pm deadline even if they miss out on 22-year-old Berahino. Roma's Seydou Doumbia flew into Tyneside over the weekend and is set to seal a loan move to St James' Park.

And Newcastle are also targetting Swansea's Bafetimbi Gomis as an alternative to Berahino, with McClaren desperate to strengthen his side's firepower.

The manager has already spent almost £30m on midfielders Jonjo Shelvey and Henri Saivet, plus winger Andros Townsend. And now they are willing to take their spending beyond £50m to land Berahino.

 

Doumbia's arrival will be rubber-stamped early today with the 28-year-old Ivory Coast international having already agreed personal terms.

Doumbia boasts an impressive goalscoring record having netted 167 times in less than 300 club appearances. But he has found himself surplus to requirements at Roma this season, having spent much of the campaign on loan at CSKA Moscow.

He initially joins Newcastle on loan but with an option for the deal to become permanent this summer.

The move for Doumbia underlines just how seriously the Toon hierarchy are taking the relegation threat with McClaren's side currently in 18th place.

In the past, Mike Ashley has refused to countenance signing players over 26 but, with just 15 games left this season, he accepts that unless Newcastle improve their goal output, they could be playing Championship football next season.

Newcastle winger Florian Thauvin has returned to Marseille on loan until the end of the season.

Newcastle are also lining up a move for Seydou Doumbia

 

The 23-year-old joined the Magpies in a £12m deal in August 2015 and made 16 appearances, scoring once in the Capital One Cup win over Northampton.

Newcastle confirmed the move was not expected to lead to a permanent switch back to the Stade Velodrome.

The club said in a statement: "There is no option for purchase within the deal, so Thauvin will return to Newcastle at the end of the loan."

While Newcastle push for Gomis, Swansea remain concerned that they may not have been able to bring in a replacement, with Leicester having joined them in the race for Crystal Palace forward Dwight Gayle.

Swansea had also been looking at a £2m move to bring Scott Sinclair back to south Wales, with the club also keen to add a midfielder before the window closes at 11pm.

However, the Swans expect any deal they can complete on deadline day will be a loan deal until the end of the season.