Diego Carlos’ representatives have arrived in Seville in a bid to convince director of football Monchi to sell the defender to Newcastle with talks ongoing.
The Magpies have identified Carlos as their top target in defence for the January transfer window and have made a number of bids for the Brazilian, but Sevilla have so far shown few signs of relenting.
90min understands Newcastle want to pay around £30m and are keen to have the deal done so Carlos can join the squad on their training trip to Saudi Arabia during the winter break.
However, Sevilla are digging their heels in and Eddie Howe’s side may have to double their bid to around £60m if they want to get a deal done. His release clause stands at £66m and Newcastle’s new owners have already backed out of deals which would have come at a similar cost.
The saga could go down to the wire and there are certain parallels with Sevilla’s previous stance on defender Jules Kounde.
Chelsea were keen to sign the Frenchman last summer but the La Liga side insisted the Blues meet his release clause, with a deal failing to materialise.
28-year-old Carlos has made 20 La Liga appearances for Sevilla so far this season, scoring twice with his side sitting second in Spain’s top flight – four points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
While he remains Newcastle’s top target at centre back, 90min understands Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car is an alternative option if the club cannot successfully negotiate a deal with Sevilla.
Croatia international Caleta-Car has interested fellow Premier League sides Liverpool and West Ham in the past and is available on a potential loan with a view to a permanent deal.
Newcastle have already signed Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier this month as they look to improve their squad and move out of the relegation zone. They are currently 19th, four points from safety, and face Leeds on Saturday.
For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!