Lee Charnley insists Newcastle United’s do not “lack ambition” - and that Rafa Benitez has been told to “try and win a cup” and build towards turning the Magpies into a top-eight team.

Benitez’s representatives are still in negotiations with the United managing director about potentially extending the Spaniard’s current deal, which has just a year left to run.

And, though it appears likely Benitez will be in the St James’ Park dugout come the start of the 2018/19 campaign, the Spaniard wants reassurances if he is to commit to Newcastle long term.

Newcastle's past FA Cup finals

The United manager wants to know that attitudes at the football club will change - and that Newcastle match his own ambitions, which are to push for European qualification and to compete for trophies.

In the past, owner Mike Ashley and Charnley have stressed that cup competitions are of secondary importance to the Premier League, and there have been accusations they have essentially discouraged managers from taking knock-out competitions seriously.

However, Charnley is adamant that is no longer the case and, going forward, Benitez will be given the freedom to target the domestic cups.

Ashley even offered £20million in bonuses to the United squad had they won the FA Cup in 2017/18, and seemingly a similar heavily-incentivised scheme could be proposed for 2018/19, too.

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“The players are hugely incentivised when it comes to the cup competitions,” Charnley told The Mirror .

“We’ve made our view clear on the cups in the past but now our view is, and we’ve said this to Rafa: ‘Have a go, try and win a cup.’”

But Benitez does not only hope to challenge for domestic honours with Newcastle, and also wants to lead United into Europe and into the top eight of the Premier League.

Charnley claims the club do match Benitez’s “ambition”, but that due to the financial after-effects which followed relegation in 2016, it “will take time” for them to become fully competitive in the top flight.

“At the beginning of the season, did we intend to finish 10th? I think the answer is no,” Charnley explained about the 2017/18 campaign.

“This year was about staying in the Premier League and now it’s about growing and improving year on year, but doing that within our means,’ he said.

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“That’s not to say there is a lack of ambition, because there definitely is ambition, it will just take some time.

“By building gradually, recruiting the right players, then maybe in time we can be a top-eight team.”