‘No chance’ of Cairney leaving in exchange for Shelvey

Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has said there is “no chance” of Jonjo Shelvey leaving St James’ Park as part of a swap deal involving Tom Cairney.

It comes after a newspaper story claimed that Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri would be ready to part with Cairney in exchange for midfielder Shelvey.[phone]

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The story also claimed that Pedro Obiang of West Ham could be an alternative option for a swap deal involving Cairney when the transfer window reopens next month.

“No. No chance. He (Shelvey) is an important player for us,” Benitez said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

“Ki [Sung-yueng] and him are the players who technically can pass the ball well and keep it, they give confidence to the rest of the team. I hope he will be as important as he was last year.”

Newcastle and West Ham have both previously expressed an interest in Cairney, who has not been a first-team regular since Ranieri took over as Whites boss.

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