Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has reiterated that he has no plans to leave the club amid speculation linking him with a move to the Chinese Super League.

Benitez has steered the Magpies into the automatic promotion places in the Championship, sitting five points clear of third-placed Huddersfield Town as they look for an immediate return to the Premier League.

The Champions League-winning manager has been persistently tipped to become the latest high-profile name to move to China, but the Spaniard insists that there is no truth in the rumours.

"I was asking where it came from. I didn't know. At the beginning of the season a lot of people were talking about Chinese clubs, but it was a surprise to me," he told reporters.

Newcastle will face promotion rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in a top-of-the-table clash on Tuesday.