Mike Ashley Confirms Newcastle January Transfer Budget & Rafa Benitez Targets £10m Pepe Reina

Newcastle United are set to renew their interest in Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina this month, with Magpies boss Rafa Benitez reportedly receiving the green light for a £10m swoop by owner Mike Ashley, according to reports. 

The Spaniard has been left increasingly frustrated since the start of the month due to the lack of assurances made by the business tycoon regarding how much funding is available for some much-needed additions. 

Those concerns are reportedly still rife within St James' Park, with the 53-year-old chief only recently returning from holiday. 

However, according to ​The Sun, following Benitez labelling his priority targets for the window, Ashley has since agreed to set aside some cash in order to make at least two of those deals happen. 

One of which is ​Napoli custodian Reina, who, despite maintaining his regular first-team spot at the Stadio San Paolo this term - making 27 appearances across all competitions, is said to be unhappy and keen to force a move away from the ​Serie A giants. 

The report claims that Ashley has agreed to a £10m budget in order to coax the 35-year-old away from Italy this month, however the former ​Liverpool shot stopper's high wage expectations could prove a stumbling block in any potential move to Tyneside. 

Another area where Benitez is keen to strengthen is in attack, with the former ex-​Real Madrid coach keen to land a frontman who can aid their ​Premier League survival on loan. 

The newspaper claim that the Spaniard has been afforded wages of up to £100k-per-week in order to secure any one of his targets, more than enough, you would think, for the type of player​Newcastlewould be able to attract to the club in their current situation.