NEWCASTLE UNITED have told Benfica they will not be paying over-the-odds for Greek midfielder Andreas Samaris.

The Magpies, who suffered defeat at German club Mainz on Saturday, have been in regular discussions with the Portuguese club aimed at striking a deal for the £18m-rated man.

But Rafael Benitez has realised Newcastle are not in a position to match the valuation for the player until the size of his own squad has been reduced.

Even then, though, Newcastle are reluctant to pay that sort of figure for Samaris and a change of heart is unlikely despite the days running down until the start of the Premier League season on August 13 against Tottenham.

Reports in Portugal and Greece have claimed a deal has edged closer, but sources close to Newcastle maintain nothing is imminent.

Newcastle – also linked with Real Madrid winger Lucas Vasquez - are believed to be willing to pay around the £13m mark for Samaris, but the acquisition of Dortmund midfielder Mikel Merino has reduced the need slightly.

Benitez knows he still wants more new players ahead of the Premier League return, although he has also accepted players need to be moved on first.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, despite appearing and playing poorly against Mainz, is one of the most saleable assets and Newcastle hope to bring in around the £15m mark for him.

There are also a number of other players available for a lot cheaper, such as Emmanuel Riviere, Henri Saivet and Karl Darlow.

The latter played an hour of Newcastle’s defeat in Germany on Saturday and he conceded the opener inside five minutes when Levin Oztunali threaded a finish beyond him after a fine pass from Pablo de Blasis.

Newcastle levelled with 25 minutes remaining when substitute Jesus Gamez’s shot deflected beyond the keeper following some good work from Ayoze Perez and Christian Atsu.

And with seven minutes remaining there was a winner for Viktor Fischer. The Danish international, a £3m signing from Middlesbrough, hammered in the winner beyond Freddie Woodman after making the most of a pass from Suat Serdar.

Newcastle face Wolfsburg on Wednesday and midfielder Mo Diame told the club website: “You always want to win when you play a game, but I think it was a good session for everyone because they made us run a lot today, and that is good for our fitness.

“But yes, of course we are disappointed with the result. I was quite surprised – you do not expect that sort of sun. But, the weather was a good thing for our fitness as well, and we know how important it is to get fit. The most important game is on the 13th and we need to be ready for that one.

“Wolfsburg are another good team, so it will definitely be a similar game on Wednesday. They were German champions (recently), so it is going to be a difficult game. But, as I say, we are just trying to get better game after game to make sure we are ready on the 13th.”

NEWCASTLE: Darlow (Woodman 60); Yedlin (Manquillo 29), Clark (Mbemba 46), Lejeune (Merino 79), Dummett (Gamez 46); Ritchie (Aarons 46), Diame (Shelvey 60), Colback (Hayden 60), Murphy (Atsu 60); De Jong (Perez 60); Mitrovic (Gayle 60).