Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has had an ambitious bid to sign Salomon Rondon on loan rejected by West Bromwich Albion.

Benitez is ready to offer the Venezuela international a swift return to the Premier League but his opening proposal has been angrily waved away by the Championship club. Rondon has a release clause of £16.5 million, as revealed by The Daily Telegraph in April, and the club are insisting they will only accept a permanent deal for the striker.

Benitez has admitted funds will be restricted ahead of the summer, with his own future still unclear with a new contract offer unsigned.

He said: “We have to adapt. Are we happy with that? Obviously, not 100 per cent, but we have to be sure that the team’s strong enough and we can compete in the Premier League.

“I think it’s normal for us now to be like that. Unfortunately we wheel and deal – it’s the way for us.