Benitez insists Newcastle man not distracted by Chelsea link
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez says he has spoken to defender Jamaal Lascelles amid reported interest from Chelsea.
Centre-back Lascelles, who is the Magpies’ club captain, has been linked with an £18m January move to Stamford Bridge following his impressive displays in the Championship this season.
But Benitez insists Lascelles, who in 2014 was the subject of a bid from QPR when he was at Nottingham Forest, has not had his head turned by the reports.
“I was talking with Jamaal this week because I read a lot of things in the press,” the Shields Gazette quotes ex-Chelsea boss Benitez as saying.
“He is quite happy and training well. He is concentrating on playing football and that’s it.”
