Newcastle are moving closer to a deal for Diego Carlos but still face competition to sign the Sevilla defender from another Premier League club.
All parties are hopeful a deal can be done for Carlos, who submitted a transfer request on Tuesday but played for Sevilla in their 1-1 draw with Valencia a day later.
Newcastle are understood to have made a £30m offer for the Brazilian defender, but it has been matched by their Premier League rival.
An Italian club have also tabled a bid for the 28-year-old, but it is believed to be worth less than the fee offered by the English sides.
Sevilla are willing to sell Carlos – who was part of Brazil’s gold-medal winning squad at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics – if their asking price is met.
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However, Newcastle are unwilling to pay more than they believe Carlos is worth and have other centre-back targets they can pursue.
The Magpies are keen on Benoit Badiashile, but the Monaco defender’s current injury and his club’s €60m (£49.9m) asking price are significant stumbling blocks to any deal.
Newcastle are also interested in Attila Szalai, although AC Milan are also tracking the Fenerbahce defender, who would cost around €20m (£16.6m).
The Premier League side also made offers for Sven Botman this month, but have so far not matched Lille’s £36m asking price.
Eddie Howe’s desire to improve his defence is understandable, with Newcastle having conceded 43 goals in 20 Premier League games this season. Only Norwich have a worse defensive record.
Leicester, meanwhile, are not interested in a deal for Carlos.
Manager Brendan Rodgers is reconsidering his plans to target a centre-back on loan in January, partly because the squad’s injury problems are easing and partly because Leicester’s recruitment team are struggling to find a player of the right profile.
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‘Carlos doing everything possible to make Toon deal happen’
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol:
“Diego Carlos is thinking that if I’m the one Newcastle want to sign and I know they really want me, then I’m going to have to do everything possible to make this deal happen so I need to tell Sevilla officially that I want to leave.
“It’s been reported in Spain that Carlos may have a release clause of around €80m (£67m).
“Newcastle are arguably the richest club in the world but they won’t want to pay over the odds and have other targets.
“I don’t think Carlos would move just for the money. Of course the financial package on offer has to be right. He knows Newcastle are building something and they have the finances to build something as well.”
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‘Carlos is a very competitive centre-back’
South American Football Expert Tim Vickery told Sky Sports News:
“Carlos has come up the hard way. He came through Portugal and France before arriving in Spain and making his name there.
“He’s got a lot to offer. He’s a very competitive centre-back with an air of swagger and class about him.
“Yes, there are mistakes in him and yes, he can be reckless but I think he’s got a lot to offer Newcastle or another Premier League club.
“If Newcastle is going to be his destination, it’s a huge club. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of a huge project to get a club back on its feet and competing for honours again?”
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