MIKE ASHLEY has been told not to mess around when it comes to tying down Rafael Benitez to Newcastle United, amid growing interest in the manager from the Premier League and abroad.

Benitez is set to enter the final year of his contract and the Magpies have indicated that discussions are “ongoing” after he confirmed last week that his representatives had opened talks with managing director Lee Charnley.

Newcastle have described how in last week’s fans’ forums that “conversations with the manager are ongoing and include discussions around the transfer pot available."

Benitez is desperate for Ashley to invest in a squad he has done well to lift into the top half of the Premier League following promotion from the Championship last May.

Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin, signed before that season in the second tier, has become a mainstay of the side under Benitez and thinks that for progress to continue it is essential to keep the former Liverpool boss at St James’ Park.

Yedlin said: “Those discussions between the manager and the club are going to be massive. He is a great manager. He is loved by the city and loved by the club. He is a manager I think we need to keep.

“He has obviously done great things with this team. Obviously I am a little bit biased because he has put so much faith in me while I have been here.

“He has shown his trust in me, he has given me a lot, taught me a lot and given me a lot of experience. It has helped me a lot. He is a manager this city and club need to keep and not only that they should try to keep him around for a long time.”

Yedlin was aware of Benitez’s situation and the Spaniard has not made any secret of the fact he is looking to add greater experience to his squad over the summer.

Benitez’s demands for investment in his playing staff and Mike Ashley’s hopes to sell – with the club also indicating the owner’s position on that front has “not changed” – has led to the ex-Real Madrid boss attracting interest from elsewhere.

He is already being linked with a return to Napoli, while the latest Premier League club said to have him under consideration is Leicester City. He has previously been strongly mentioned with West Ham and Arsenal.

The club’s comments at the fans’ forum have been published as minutes and it also hinted the season spent in the Championship, having fallen out of the top tier, had made it harder for Newcastle to spend more over the last 12 months.

The minutes stated: “Relegation to the Championship had undoubtedly given clubs that had remained in the Premier League an advantage financially.”

It added: "The club also discussed, in addition to transfer fees, that there are often significant costs such as its wage bill and agents fees that are not factored in or referred to.

"The club also noted that figures attributed to transfer fees in the public domain were often inaccurate.

"During the 2016-17 season, the club took a considerable gamble to invest significantly in the team in order to gain immediate promotion.

"By way of example, the club committed heavily to its wage bill, which was well beyond not only its competitors in the Championship, but also many clubs in the Premier League.

"The club strengthened in summer 2017 and also made offers to buy players in January prior to acquiring players on loan.”

Newcastle are expected to finalise a permanent deal for goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, having agreed a £4.5m fee with Sparta Prague when the loan deal was secured.

But the squad will become two players lighter when the loans of Islam Slimani and Kenedy come to an end.

Newcastle hope to secure Kenedy from Chelsea on a full-time basis but that is likely to require Ashley to break the club’s £16m transfer record, while Slimani will be heading back to Leicester and it is hard to imagine him coming back after a disappointing loan.

That is two key areas of the squad in need of strengthening and Benitez, whose side face Watford on Saturday, would certainly not want to stop there.