Newcastle’s January transfer window certainly hasn’t gone to plan and time is running out for the Magpies to sign the players they want - and so desperately need.
The arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood have covered the right back and striker positions, but Eddie Howe knows the pair simply won’t be enough to save his side from relegation.
A centre back has been the number one priority over the course of the month and after a failed attempt to sign Lille’s Sven Botman, Sevilla’s Diego Carlos was next in line.
But after weeks of transfer negotiations with the Spanish outfit, a move has failed to materialise as the La Liga club remain desperate to hold onto the defender.
And just when it seems all is dead, there could be one final twist in the saga as Newcastle are left with ‘no choice’ but to ‘break the market’ according to reports in Spain.
Have Newcastle left it too late to get their transfer business done this month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Carlos was supposedly curious about a move to the north east but it is his club who are refusing to play ball, and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, via Football365, reported that Sevilla claim negotiations with Newcastle to be ‘over’ on Tuesday
And that certainly seems to be the case, but Spanish outlet ABC Sevilla think otherwise, as they claim that the Magpies are set to ‘go all out’ and ‘break the market’ to sign the 28-year-old.
Whether this will happen remains to be seen, but the Magpies have constantly been knocked back in their pursuit of Carlos and despite it looking as though the chase is over, they could be set for one final spin of the wheel.
Sevilla themselves haven’t ruled out a move away for their player completely, telling Carlos’ representatives that a ‘super offer’ would be enough for them to compromise.
But both Amanda Staveley and Howe have publicly stated that they will not pay over the odds for any player and will ‘have to draw a line’.
However, with the clock ticking and Monday’s deadline only a matter of time away, coupled with the fact the club are desperate to cling onto their Premier League status this season, they could cave.
Sevilla obviously want to keep hold of one of their star assets but believe that ‘everything is in the hands’ of Newcastle in the current situation.
The Magpies have already been looking for alternatives, with the club set to make a last minute move for Brighton centre back duo Adam Webster and Dan Burn, while Liverpool ’s Nathaniel Phillips is also an option.
Phillips is a much more likely option given he is way down the pecking order at Anfield, but he is an alternative to Carlos, rather than a genuine target.
The longer they leave it to make this monster bid for Carlos, the more unlikely it seems that they will get their man, but the time to act is now.
And as Sevilla have already said, it really is in Newcastle’s hands.
