Newcastle reject £25m bid from West Ham for captain Lascelles

Newcastle have turned down West Ham’s £25m bid for captain Jamaal Lascelles, reports Sky Sports.

The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Newcastle this summer after impressing in the Premier League last season.

Everton and Chelsea have previously been mooted with a move for the Magpies skipper, but West Ham are trying to steal a march on their rivals.

The Hammers have already made four signings this summer and are reportedly on the verge of signing Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson to bolster their offensive options.

Manuel Pellegrini has already strengthened his defence with the signing of Fulham right-back Ryan Fredericks, but the Chilean also wants a new centre-back.

West Ham’s offer for Lascelles is an initial £20m, which could rise to £25m with performance related add-ons.

However, Newcastle have no interest in selling one of their best players and certainly won’t entertain offers as low as West Ham’s opening bid.

Only Florian Lejeune (7.05) averaged a higher WhoScored rating than Lascelles (7.04) of all Newcastle players in the Premier League last season.