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Newcastle could sell Papiss Cisse if Anzhi improve £15m offer
NEWCASTLE have told money-bags Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala they will have to pay more than £15.4 million to land star striker Papiss Cisse this summer.
Anzhi will need to raise their €18m (£15.4m) bid for Senegal hitman Cisse if Newcastle are to sanction the sale of their 13-goal top-scorer.
According to Russian newspaper Izvestia, Cisse will be handed an improved £50,000 per week contract at the Russian Premier League outfit were he to agree to a move, having come to Anzhi's attention after scoring an injury-time winner to knock them out of the Europa League last season.
While the Dagestan-based club are ready to offer £15.4m for the 27-year-old this summer, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley will demand a higher transfer fee.
Cisse joined the Magpies for £9m just 18 months ago, but despite having four years remaining on his contract could be sold on this summer.
Were Anzhi to improve their offer to over £20m a move could materialise, as Ashley looks to cash in on his club's star striker in the same manner he did in January 2011 when Andy Carroll was flogged to Liverpool for £35m.
However, so far Newcastle claim to have received no bids for any of their current playing staff, with Alan Pardew's main objective adding to a squad that narrowly avoided relegation.
Demba Ba - who also registered 13 goals for Pardew's side last campaign - left for Chelsea in January, therefore were Cisse to follow suit there would be large gaps to fill in the North East outfit's strike force.