We’ve heard rumors upon rumors upon rumors involving Newcastle United and QPR’s striker, Charlie Austin. Newcastle United is said to have been interested in the player since the end of last season, and have made several inquiries into the player’s availability. QPR has stated that they will not accept anything below the region of £15m, however, for many, that price is steep for just one standout season in the Premier League that could have been a fluke.

The only club that has come near the asking price was Leicester City, throwing in a bid of £12m which was quite reasonable, and if I were QPR, I would have accepted it.

But just how close is Newcastle United to actually making an offer for the striker? The club has already signed three quality players in the form of a striker, midfielder, and a defender. They’ve got Ayoze Perez who has a lot of upside in the future, and they should be focusing more on their midfield and defense, rather than continuing their pursuit of strikers.

The thing is, that every time we read a story, the article starts out with “the striker has been linked”. Linked by whom? Who had the inside scoop that Newcastle was linked to Charlie Austin? No doubt, Newcastle United was interested, and still is interested, in Charlie Austin, but their refusal to meet the £15m asking is understandable seeing that they don’t want to pay that kind of money for a one-year Premier League player.

I know, I had written a month or so back that I think Newcastle United should have just bit the bullet and went in to sign Charlie Austin. But following the continuous rumors involving the club and the player, can we really believe that Newcastle has any intentions of actually making an offer?

No.

Do not expect Newcastle to ever sign Charlie Austin. Unless an article reads, Charlie Austin Signs with Newcastle United, or, Charlie Austin Renews Contract With Queens Park Rangers, do not believe anything you read on the whole ordeal. Fans want the news, and they want reliable news. For weeks and months, those expectations of have been used for page views and to spark a story that was never really there in the first place.