RAFAEL BENITEZ is close to convincing Mike Ashley that Newcastle United will have to break the club’s transfer record to push through a deal for Feyenoord striker Nicolai Jorgensen.

The Magpies have offered £14m for the Denmark international but the Dutch club are demanding around the £20m mark; the initial offer is believed to have been rejected last week.

Newcastle, who are hoping to recoup around the £15m mark for Serbian international Aleksandar Mitrovic, are ready to accept they need to finally pay more than they ever have for a player before to land him.

The £16m fee that was paid to Real Madrid in 2005 for Michael Owen remains Newcastle’s highest ever fee paid for a player, and that was before Ashley took control in 2007.

Now such a fee is effectively the going rate for a decent international striker from the continent, highlighted by the £14m paid for Mitrovic to Anderlecht a couple of years ago – and the fact they want that sum now for him.

Brighton have already had an offer knocked back for Mitrovic and there is also strong interest from Alan Pardew at West Bromwich Albion. Whatever is raised from that sale will go a long way to boosting Benitez’s recruitment push before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

Jorgensen has scored 28 goals in 48 appearances in the Eredivisie for Feyneoord and has 28 caps for his country, who he is hoping to play a key role for at this summer’s World Cup in Russia.

He has been on the radar of a number of European clubs since a decent four-year stint with Copenhagen when he hit 43 in 92 appearances to secure his move to Holland.

There have been numerous Premier League clubs who have considered him but none have been prepared to take the gamble. Benitez has sufficiently been impressed to tell managing director Lee Charnley to get the deal done.

Newcastle do have alternative options. It is also a £20m fee which Leicester City are demanding for Islam Slimani, who was on the Magpies’ radar during his time at Sporting Lisbon.

Benitez has handed Charnley a list of attacking options and Liverpool pair Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings are known to have figured prominently on that. Ideally the Newcastle boss would still bring in another forward, probably on loan.

Hertha Berlin’s Davie Selke and Schalke’s Andrea Schurrle are two other names to have been considered, although there is also competition from the Premier League and a similar reluctance to sell unless it makes financial sense.

That’s why selling Mitrovic would help Newcastle’s cause. Brighton are seriously keen but their initial offer of £8m was seen as well below the asking price and dismissed out of hand from within the corridors of power at St James’ Park.

If Brighton boss Chris Hughton is serious about landing Mitrovic then he will have to act quickly because West Brom could soon be armed with significant extra funds by selling Jonny Evans to Arsenal.

The Gunners are looking to sign Evans this month and the Baggies know that now could be the time to cash in over fears he could leave for £3m in the summer because of a relegation clause in his contract.

Benitez has only brought in Chelsea winger Kenedy on loan this month and, as well as a couple of strikers, he would like to add a defender and goalkeeper. Torino’s Brazilian Bruno Peres has also been considered.

Benitez revealed just last Friday that he was more optimistic about being able to strike transfer deals after discussions with Ashley following the breakdown of takeover talks with Amanda Staveley.

Benitez said: “Mike said clearly they will try to do the best they can to bring the players we are looking for. The conversation was positive, that’s always in life so now we need to see the players here. We have three or four positions we want to improve.”