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Newcastle United have told Andy Carroll that the only way he will return to St James’ Park is on a pay-as-you-play deal, writes Alan Oliver in the Sunday People.

The big Geordie has been linked with a move back to his native club for the past 12 months following an injury-plagued spell at West Ham.

But Toon bosses are reluctant to match his £4million-a-year wages if he suffers a recurrence of the issues with his hamstring, knee, heel and ankle that have restricted him to making just 46 appearances for the Hammers during the past three seasons.

Carroll is one of the targets under ­consideration as Steve McClaren’s reign on Tyneside gets under way – along with Wolfsburg striker Bas Dost.

Negotiations to land No.1 target Charlie Austin – as revealed last week in Sunday People Sport – have started with ­discussions having taken place with former Toon ­legend and current QPR director of ­football, Les Ferdinand.

(Image: Rex Features)

And former Newcastle skipper Joey Barton has told his team-mate that the world would be his oyster if he moved to the north-east.

Meanwhile, McClaren hopes to name his backroom staff in the next couple of days and the odds are that he will go back to Derby County for his former assistant Paul Simpson.

But the situation is a bit complicated because Newcastle do not want to pay any compensation for Simpson.

A Toon source says: “Even if McClaren does get Simpson he will still look for someone else who has been around for a long time as a player and has become a top coach – someone in the ilk of Gary Neville.”

McClaren has arrived at St James’ Park as the first Newcastle manager with a major trophy to his name for 11 years following his League Cup success with Middlesbrough and the Eredivise title with FC Twente.

The Toon source added: “Mike Ashley is happy to put everything on the football side to his managing director Lee Charnley, chief scout Graham Carr, ambassador Bob Moncur and McClaren.

He has told them they are football people and they know more about football than he does.

“But he did add he knew more about running a sports business than them.”