Rafa Benitez is prepared to walk out of Newcastle United at the end of the season.

The Toon are trying to tie down the Spaniard, whose contract expires in June, and will give him £100million — plus cash from sales — to spend over two years.

But Benitez clearly feels that is not enough to get the club to where he thinks they should be. The St James' Park boss, who turned 59 on Tuesday, said: “What I want is to get a job where I can enjoy competing.

“If I cannot, maybe I have to stay at home and wait.

“I have been here for more than three years and I was clear from day one — we need a team that can compete in the Premier League, not just survive. It has to be something that makes me, the fans and everybody sure we can compete.

“It is not a case of thinking 'Maybe we can finish tenth or maybe we can finish 17th'.

“It has to be a team that when you play against anyone, you are sure you can win — not a draw will be a great result."