Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has ruled out any possibility of his club selling Jonjo Shelvey to West Ham this month.
The former Liverpool and Swansea man Shelvey has been strongly linked with a transfer to David Moyes team during recent weeks with reports suggesting that Benitez would sanction a move if he received an offer in the region of £12 million.
In an ideal world, Benitez would be able to sell Shelvey and use the funds from the sale to fund purchases for the club this month as they look to bolster their side to avoid the threat of relegation.
With controversial owner Mike Ashley yet to inform Benitez about what kind of budget he will be given for transfers this month, the Spaniard has now ruled out the possibility of selling Shelvy.
“Without saying any names, we are not thinking about selling anyone who is playing and who is ready, because we need players,” said Benitez, ahead of this afternoon’s Premier League home game with Swansea City.
“If I am waiting for players to come, and it is very difficult to bring the players that you want, then you cannot sell the players that are already playing and – more or less – doing well.
“We can consider selling players who are not playing because as I have said before, (Jamie) Sterry and (Jack) Colback, we are not using and they need to play. So if someone is coming and approaching us about them, then we have to consider that.”
