Feyenoord transfer chief explains why he didn't sell Nicolai Jorgensen to Newcastle

The Danish striker emerged as Newcastle's main transfer target last month as Rafa Benitez looked to increase the club's firepower.

The Magpies lodged a bid of around €17million (£15million) for the 27-year-old frontman, but Feyenoord wanted in excess of £20million and the deal fell through.

Jorgensen had helped fire Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title last season with 21 goals, but has just nine this season as the club has struggled to emulate that success, sitting fourth in the table a massive 22 points adrift of leaders PSV Eindhoven.

However, general manager Jan de Jong says he doesn't have any regrets over the decision not to cash in on their star striker, despite Jorgensen not scoring yet in 2018.

"We wanted to keep as strong a team as possible and Jorgensen is part of that,” De Jong told Algemeen Dagblad.

“We do not regret having kept him at De Kuip, otherwise we would have let him go.

"We did not have to sell him, so he just stays with Feyenoord, and it is not true that a bid of less than €17million means that we would have done wrong.

"He is still important to us now, for example in the quarter-final of the cup against PSV."

Newcastle could return for Jorgensen in the summer, should they stay in the Premier League, but the striker's value could depend on whether he has a good World Cup with Denmark.