All the latest transfer news from across the North-East and beyond …

NEWCASTLE

Hands up if you saw this coming? Rafa Benitez has admitted he is frustrated with a lack of transfer cash to spend this summer. And he will not be signing a new contract until he is.

No surprises there then!

The situation means Benitez, who is desperate to improve his squad after finishing tenth, is having to wheel and deal and he has contacted a number of clubs over possible loan deals.

Newcastle do not really want to sell players he rates so he can buy himself but that is what he is having to consider.

While he is happy for the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic to leave, and a deal with Fulham has been pretty much agreed, and Chancel Mbemba, he is more reluctant to cash in on players such as Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden.

But at this stage it looks like Mike Ashley, once again infuriating supporters with his stance, will only be sanctioning player purchases if money comes in first, so the pursuits of Andros Townsend and a new striker, like Salomon Rondon, are on hold.

West Brom were unhappy that Newcastle tried to take him on loan but Ashley is unlikely to give the go-ahead to pay the £16.5m release clause for 29-year-old Rondon.

MIDDLESBROUGH

Fabio da Silva has completed his move to Nantes from the Riverside Stadium.

The Brazilian full-back has had two years on Teesside but has been looking for a way out since the turn of the year and has got one.

It had looked initially like he would head back to Brazil to play for Botafogo, but then Middlesbrough exercised an option to extend his contract and that has allowed them to demand a fee for him.

Fabio is understood to have cost Nantes around £2m and he leaves having played 54 times for Middlesbrough since his switch from Cardiff following promotion to the Premier League under Aitor Karanka.

He didn’t play as much last season because of injury and personal frustrations and now he has headed to France where his brother Rafael plays for Lyon.

Middlesbrough are still looking to add to their own squad and Aston Villa midfielder Birkir Bjarnason is the latest name to be linked.

The 30-year-old has been with Iceland at the World Cup and is one of a number of players at Villa who could be offloaded.

Tony Pulis is said to be keeping an eye on things, although there are Italian sides interested in him as well as Trabzonspor. Bjarnason was unhappy not to have made Villa’s play-off final team having spent much of the campaign as Steve Bruce’s defensive midfielder.

SUNDERLAND

It looks like being a big 48 hours for Sunderland in their attempts to give Jack Ross the attacking power he is searching for.

Despite a denial that a bid has been made for Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp, the Black Cats are known to be waiting to hear back from bids from three other players.

Sunderland have made offers for Mohamed Eisa, Charlie Wyke and George Evans and are looking for a response from their clubs before the weekend.

Ross is running out of time to get the players in he wants to start the new season in League One and all three would provide healthy competition for the division they find themselves in.

Eisa scored for Cheltenham on Tuesday and Sunderland have bid £1m for him, while that is the sort of figure Bradford have been demanding for Wyke, who did pick up a knee injury in front of Sunderland’s chief scout Tony Coton.

Evans is a player who Reading are more open to the idea of selling but Paul Clement, the Royals boss, is keen to bring a replacement first.

OTHER CLUBS …

Huddersfield Town have made an £8m move for Monaco forward Adama Diakhaby.

Manchester City midfielder Rodney Kongolo is in talks over a move to Heerenveen.

Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Chelsea worth £31m for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Leicester are weighing up a £15m move for Getafe central defender Djene.

Bournemouth are ready to spend £57m on World Cup stars Jefferson Lerma and Diego Laxalt.

Chelsea are trying to hijack Liverpool's move for Brazil keeper Alisson with a £65m bid.

Crystal Palace are closing in on the £12m capture of Sassuolo striker Khouma Babacar.

Daniel Sturridge has vowed to stay and fight for his place at Liverpool.

Marco Silva has returned to Watford to try to sign Richarlison for Everton, who have also expressed an interest in Danny Welbeck.

Chelsea have edged closer to making a second signing for Maurizio Sarri after CSKA Moscow said that Aleksandr Golovin could move to the west London club.