Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce hasn’t given up hope of keeping Jacob Murphy at St James’ Park beyond the summer.
The exciting winger has been linked with a move to Nottingham Forest, as well as a return to Sheffield Wednesday where he spent the Championship season.
Wednesday chief Garry Monk is desperate to see Murphy back at Hillsborough, but Bruce is keen to have a closer look at the 25-year-old before making any transfer decision.
The Toon Army spent £10m on Murphy three years ago, since then, however, the ex-Norwich man has been out on loan to West Brom, as well as the Owls.
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Murphy has been back involved under Bruce this summer, featuring last week at the club's training camp in York, and is expected to play some part in Tuesday's friendly with Crewe.
“Jacob has trained with us the last few days,” Bruce told the Newcastle Chronicle.
“He probably thinks to himself he hasn’t had a fair crack of the whip.
“Certainly, I haven’t seen a great deal of him.
“I’ll be interested to see how he does.”
Reds boss Sabri Lamouchi is desperate to add more pace to his squad ahead of the new season, and with doubts about Joe Lolley’s fitness, a move for Murphy would make sense.
Interest in Murphy continues to grow, and Bruce is aware of Wednesday’s desire to have him back after netting nine times in Monk's side last term.
“I know he had a really good spell at Sheffield Wednesday last year and did very well,” the ex-Owls manager said.
“They think the world of him.
“He did very, very well and would like him back, that’s fair to say.”
Any switch for Murphy looks a way off, however, with Bruce adamant there’s no rush to make a decision.
“I am going to take my time with him and have a look.
“We have plenty time with it to see what the next step is.
“He has had a successful loan and looks like he’s developed a bit, so we will see what he will do.”
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