NEWCASTLE UNITED remain hopeful of completing a deal for QPR striker Charlie Austin, but Steve McClaren is reluctant to oversee any more transfer business until he has had the opportunity to add Aleksandar Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba to his squad.

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Mitrovic will take part in his first training session at Newcastle’s Benton base later today, but despite shelling out £12m to sign the 20-year-old from Anderlecht, the Magpies’ recruitment team are keen to add another striker to the ranks before the transfer window closes.

Austin is their preferred option, although a number of discussions with the QPR hierarchy have failed to produce a breakthrough with the London club’s owner, Tony Fernandes, continuing to hold out for a £15m fee.

Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley regards that price as too high, and there are also concerns about a long-standing shoulder problem that has hampered Austin in the past.

The Magpies’ medical staff would seek certain assurances before sanctioning a deal, but the St James’ Park board have been buoyed by private indications from within Austin’s camp that the striker would be willing to move to the North-East despite previous suggestions that he would prefer to remain closer to London.

Further talks are anticipated, but having completed three deals worth a cumulative total of more than £34m, McClaren insists he is in no rush to make the two or three additional signings that will complete Newcastle’s transfer business.

Instead, the Magpies head coach would prefer to wait until he has had the opportunity to integrate both Mitrovic and Mbemba into his squad before assessing where else he needs to strengthen.

“We’ve really been concentrating on those first few deals,” said McClaren. “We were really concentrating on getting (Georginio) Wijnaldum in, which we’ve done, and before we start thinking about anybody else, I’d like to see the other two out there because that’ll give us a much better idea of where we’re at.

“I haven’t been able to see Mitrovic or Mbemba since coming back from the States yet, so let’s deal with one thing at a time and get them out there training and integrated into the squad. Then we’ll wait for further developments if they happen.”

Mbemba’s position is proving especially frustrating, with the defender’s £8m move from Anderlecht being held up by bureaucratic red tape.

As a non-EU national, the DR Congo international needs a Governing Body Endorsement in order to apply for a visa, but despite receiving the necessary documentation last week, the Football Association are refusing to meet to discuss the matter until Thursday.

That means Mbemba is unable to play in tomorrow’s friendly at York City, and is also unlikely to feature in Newcastle’s final pre-season game against Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend.

Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Fabricio Coloccini amid mounting interest from Crystal Palace, that could mean Newcastle having to start the season with Steven Taylor and Mike Williamson as their centre-half pairing for the opening game against Southampton.

Mitrovic will hope to start against the Saints, and while the Serbian striker only received formal clearance to begin training with his new team-mates yesterday, his early pre-season work with his former employers means he should be in decent shape and could even be involved at Bootham Crescent tomorrow.

“He’s been training with Anderlecht,” said McClaren. “He’s had a few days away on his own because of the situation, but we expect him to come in (later today) and we’ll assess him and see whether he’s ready. Then we’ll see if he’s right for a few minutes on Wednesday or whether he should wait until Saturday.”

With Coloccini’s long-term future in serious doubt, the identity of Newcastle’s captain for tomorrow’s game will be of interest.

Daryl Janmaat wore the armband in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Sheffield United, but Jack Colback, Cheick Tiote and Siem de Jong are also being considered for a leadership role, with McClaren keen to develop a culture of shared responsibility.

“I’m still throwing that (the identity of the captain) around at the present moment,” he said. “I can understand the importance of captains in cricket and rugby, but to be honest, I want 11 captains out there.

“I want them all wearing an armband and being leaders. We’ve developed a senior leadership group since we’ve come in, and the ones who are taking the armband in the matches are part of that group.

“I want them to show their seniority and experience on the field – but I want 11 people like that out there, not just one.”