EIBAR are doing everything they can to persuade defender Florian Lejeune to stay, even if they accept a move to Newcastle United is on the cards.

The Magpies’ manager Rafael Benitez had expected the 27-year-old to have completed a move to Tyneside by now after learning they had agreed to pay the £8.7m release clause in the player’s contract.

However, like many of the deals Newcastle have tried to do this summer, the transfer has proven more problematic than expected and raised concerns over whether it will actually go-ahead.

There has been previous interest in him from the Premier League, with both Arsenal and Manchester City previously linked. However, neither of those are said to have renewed interest this time and the competition is from other areas.

Newcastle are still confident of pulling off the deal but Benitez had expected that to happen weeks ago, so he is not banking on anything taking place until it happens.

The player’s Spanish employers, Eibar, fully expect him to move to the Premier League, even if they would love to keep him.

Eibar’s sports director Fran Garagarza said: “Right now all the roads point to England. The English are showing their interest and we fear that it will not continue with us.”

Benitez is desperate for a transfer lift after failing to strike deals for any of his other preferred targets so far. His players are due to return for pre-season training on July 3.

Striker Tammy Abraham is expected to move to Swansea City on loan from Chelsea after the Under-21s European Championships, while he has been unable to add either of his identified goalkeeper targets Wily Caballero or Pepe Reina to his squad.

The issues behind-the-scenes on the transfer front have already led to chief scout Graham Carr leaving his position, despite still having three years remaining on his eight-year contract.

Benitez has since been told the club’s hierarchy share his frustrations on the transfer front, with managing director Lee Charnley unable to push through the deals so far.

Charnley has been told by owner Mike Ashley that there is money available to spend, and yet there is still a reluctance to go overboard on wage demands and transfer fees – a policy that the club has stuck to during Carr’s time.

However, sources close to St James’ Park suggest Ashley is also appreciative of the fact the squad is not strong enough to compete in the Premier League – and Benitez is not a manager who wants to engage in a relegation fight.

Getting value for money in the transfer market is a lot harder to achieve these days, so Ashley and Benitez will have to come up with a compromise in a bid to get the best deals to take the team forward.

There have been fresh reports in Portugal that Newcastle are trying to strike a deal for Greek midfielder Andreas Samaris.

The 29-year-old defensive midfielder has a reported £40m release clause in his contract but Benfica could do business for nearer the £17.6m mark, which is still a little more than Newcastle would like to do business for.

Newcastle have also been linked with a move for St Etienne full-back Kevin Malcuit, although he is someone who was on Carr’s radar before his departure.

Lubomir Satka, meanwhile, has agreed a return to his Slovakian homeland once his contract with Newcastle comes to an end.

Satka, 21, will be playing for FC DAC 1904 after lining up the move before his deal officially expires on July 1.

Satka will join the Fortuna Liga outfit on a deal at the DAC Arena for the next three seasons, with an option of a further one. It is a move that brings an end to his five-year spell at St James’ Park.