RAFAEL BENITEZ has confirmed he does not have to sell any more of his leading lights this summer, and warned Moussa Sissoko and Georginio Wijnaldum they will have to ‘face up to their responsibilities’ following Newcastle’s relegation to the Championship.

Fabricio Coloccini followed Andros Townsend out of the exit door yesterday when the final year of his Magpies contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

The former skipper has returned to his native Argentina to join San Lorenzo, but while this week’s two outgoings have saved Newcastle around £5m-a-year, Benitez has splashed out more than £26m to sign Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle and Mats Selz.

It was anticipated that expenditure would be offset by further departures, but having insisted he did not have to sell anyone against his wishes when he agreed to remain on Tyneside at the start of the summer, the Spaniard has reiterated that he is not under any pressure to agree to more sales.

That will not go down well with Sissoko or Wijnaldum, both of whom are hoping to leave Newcastle before the transfer window closes at the end of next month.

Sissoko, who is preparing to represent France in the semi-final of Euro 2016 tomorrow, refused to discuss his club future when he spoke to the press at his country’s Clairefontain base yesterday, but he has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and West Brom in the last few days.

The Northern Echo:

Wijnaldum has been the subject of mounting interest from Italian side Roma, but Benitez claims both players have a debt to repay on Tyneside following Newcastle’s relegation from the top-flight in May.

“To go from the Premier League to the Championship is not easy for anyone,” said the Newcastle boss, who is keen to sign a centre-half following the exit of both Coloccini and Steven Taylor. “I understand they need some time to analyse the situation and understand where they are, but they need to take their responsibility too and try to do their best to change the situation.

“In this case it would be to do well, get us promoted back to the Premier League and everyone will be happy.

“As I have said before, if we don’t want to sell anyone we don’t have to sell anyone. We understand that the market is quite difficult and someone will maybe come with a big offer for a player. Then we have to analyse whether we say yes or no. But at the moment, we will say no to everyone.”

Benitez was happy to agree to Coloccini’s departure as he felt it was time for the 34-year-old to move on after eight seasons with the Magpies.

Coloccini joined Newcastle from Deportivo La Coruna in 2008, and made 275 appearances for the club, having been appointed captain in 2010.

He was a hugely influential figure in the first half of his Newcastle career, playing a key role in the successful Championship promotion campaign of 2009-10 and claiming a place in the PFA Team of the Year as he helped the Magpies qualify for Europe in 2012.

However, his stock fell dramatically in the last couple of seasons as he suffered a succession of injuries and made an unsuccessful attempt to force through a return to his homeland.

His final Newcastle appearance came in February’s 5-1 defeat at Chelsea, and in a lengthy open letter published yesterday, he effectively admitted his motivation had waned.

“I spent about half my career at this club with very positive moments, but also with negative ones,” said Coloccini, who made a point of thanking and praising the Newcastle fans. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t lift a title for the club, which is a dream that I haven’t been able to fulfil. And in the last year, the club and players were not up to the standard of the competition, and for that reason we lost our Premier League status.

The Northern Echo:

“Today, I’m taking the decision of taking a step sideways, of leaving, for several reasons, none of which have anything to do with not wanting to play in the Championship. As I showed last time we lost our Premier League status, when even though I had a World Cup ahead of me, I still wanted to stay at the club.

“One of the main reasons is that after so many years of trying to achieve a title for the club and not being able to do it, it might be time to let other players arrive with the same drive, impetus and desire as I did years ago.

“For logical reasons, the mental strain of this is much more than the physical. For this reason, this is I think for me, the time to take a step sideways.”

As things stand, Chancel Mbemba and Jamaal Lascelles are expected to start the new season alongside each other at centre-half, although Benitez is keen to make a defensive addition, with Steven Caulker and Daniel Ayala known to be on his list of targets.

Ideally, the Magpies manager would like to be in a position where he could promote from within, and he is determined to make an overhaul of the current academy set-up a key priority for his time in the North-East.

“I think now it will be more important in every country to produce players for your academy,” said Benitez, who spent Monday attending the inaugural Newcastle United Foundation 1892 Cup. “Now, if you go to the market to buy players, the prices are incredible.

“It’s really important to have a group of players coming through the academy because they will have a feel for the club and the city.”