Newcastle will continue to explore a deal for Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali after talks with intermediaries this week.
The 23-year-old is high on the list of Eddie Howe’s preferred midfield targets and, were a price with the Serie A club to be agreed, a move would likely accelerate in the coming days.
However, sources have stressed to Mail Sport that asking prices keep on rising during such negotiations, with initial talks having centred at around £40-45million.
Newcastle have a valuation of each player within what they insist is a limited budget, and they will not go beyond that.