No St James’ Park bid for £12million rated striker.

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Newcastle United have not made an official offer to sign £12million rated striker Wilfried Bony, Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem have said.

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It was reported at the weekend that Newcastle had turned their attention to the Eredivisie’s top scorer after having an £8million bid to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from St Etienne rejected by the French club.

Source: Sky Sports

But Vitesse Arnhem insisted they have not had an official approach from Newcastle for the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international, who has scored 16 times in 18 Eredivisie games this season.

Vitesse Arnhem’s technical director Ted van Leeuwen told Omroep Gelderland: “As far as we know, nothing has happened so far. Or it would have had to have been outside the club. I haven’t seen a fax.”

Bony, who is contracted to Vitesse Arnhem until 2015, is currently on international duty with the Ivory Coast at the African Nations Cup.

Newcastle’s transfer activity has centred on France this month with the signing of five players from Ligue 1, but they have had plenty of luck with Dutch-based signings including Cheick Tiote and Vernon Anita, who both made the switch to Tyneside from the Eredivisie.