GIORGINIO WIJNALDUM insists that he is not on the brink of signing for Newcastle United despite ongoing discussions between the two clubs aimed at striking a deal for the £15m-rated talent.

The Magpies are in a position to pay transfer fees up front and hope such a strong bargaining tool will help persuade PSV Eindhoven to lower their fee, knowing other clubs might ask to pay in instalments.

Wijnaldum was training with PSV Eindhoven when he was asked about his future, but he is determined not to worry about the uncertainty surrounding his future until a deal has been agreed between Newcastle and its Dutch counterparts.

Newcastle are understood to have made progress in discussions with PSV over a fee for the creative midfielder, but he does not think a move to Tyneside – or anywhere else for that matter – is as close as recently been suggested.

“Much is called and written a lot, the media find it more exciting than I do, but as long as it is not specific, I focus on PSV,” said Wijnaldum. “When things happen then I hear it from my agent, then I think about it and make a decision, not now.”

PSV maintain Newcastle have not made an official offer for the Holland international, although it is known discussions between the two clubs have been ongoing for a few weeks and Newcastle are more hopeful about landing their man.

He was left out of the PSV squad for the pre-season friendly with SV Dosko and there is a long list of interested clubs, but Newcastle are making the biggest noises over at Eindhoven’s Philips Stadion at the moment.

McClaren thinks Wijnaldum would be the perfect first signing to mark the start of his time in charge of Tyneside and he has not given up on landing Queens Park Rangers’ Charlie Austin either.

With his backroom team in place, it is just the squad adjustments he is looking for now. Paul Simpson, an assistant to the head coach, has urged the playing staff to embrace the new regime at the training ground rather than fear it.

Assistants Simpson and Ian Cathro have been joined by fitness coach Alessandro Schoenmaker and consultant Steve Black on a coaching staff which already had Andy Woodman has the goalkeeper coach.

Simpson said: “It’s a great opportunity for us all to come to a football club like this. Steve’s tried to put a management team together that’s going to help as much as we possibly can. The players are showing that they’ve got enthusiasm and that they want to learn and listen.

“I think they’re still a little bit nervous because of all the changes that are going on but they’ll get used to us. They’ll realise that we’re not the type of people who rule everything with a stick.

“We want their input in to it. We want them to enjoy training, we want them to be enthusiastic and I think when you come back for pre-season you can’t help but be enthusiastic working at a football club like this.”