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Newcastle United have promised Rafael Benitez a transfer budget of £50million if he signs a new contract at the club, per The Independent.

The Magpies manager’s contract expires at the end of the season and he has yet to commit to new terms.

What’s the word?

The report claims that the Spaniard and the club are currently locked in a stand-off over his new contract.

Newcastle are set to change their transfer policy, it states, and will look to sign young players, a plan that Benitez does not favour.

The Spaniard has reportedly been promised a sum of £50m to spend on the squad, however, as the club look to tie him down to fresh terms.

Benitez has been at St James’ Park since 2016, even taking the club to the Championship title after their relegation.

The club have three games to play, against Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool and Fulham. A win over the Reds, of course, could hand the title to Manchester City, with Benitez potentially coming back to haunt the club with whom he won the Champions League in 2005.

Give him whatever he wants

Benitez is the best manager Newcastle have had this decade.

He is a genuinely world-class tactician and has a European pedigree that has seen him boss the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

That he went down with Newcastle and managed them in the Championship should prove his devotion to the cause.

Owner Mike Ashley, then, needs to put his hand in his pocket and ensure that Benitez is given the resources he needs.

Newcastle have the infrastructure to be a top-eight club, and they have the manager too.

Ashley now needs to prove that he is ready to fund that push, otherwise he risks losing the Magpies' finest boss in years.