Amanda Staveley Takeover Bid Stalling Has Left Rafa Benitez in the Dark Over January Signings

Newcastle manager Rafa Benítez is desperate to bring reinforcements to the club in January. However, uncertainty over who the Magpies owner will be when the transfer window opens could scupper any chances of high-profile arrivals at St James Park.

According to a report from the Telegraph, Benítez wanted to improve his squad over the summer and pleaded with Mike Ashley that a squad built for promotion from the Championship wouldn't survive in the Premier League.

However, Ashley refused to give Benítez the backing he was after and as a result, Newcastle are currently sitting just four points away from the bottom three and flirting with the prospect of relegation once again.

With no news on Amanda Staveley's take over deal at Newcastle since an official offer was made, Benítez has been left unsure of where the money to make January signings will be coming from.

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Newcastle were active during the summer transfer window. However, not one of their six signings gave fans anything to shout about.

The club forked out over £10m for promising Norwich City winger Jacob Murphy, while a further £24m was spent on the likes of Florian Lejeune, Christian Atsu, Joselu and Javier Manquillo.

Borussia Dortmund youngster Mikel Merino was also brought to the club on a season-long loan, with the Magpies having to offer Peter Bosz's side a £2.7m fee to allow the Spaniard to leave the Westfallenstadion.