A deal could be struck today, and Magpies boss Steve Bruce will hope the Algerian international can help add much-needed boost to his midfield.
Bentaleb already knows about the demands of the Premier League having spent three seasons with Tottenham Hotspur.
The 25-year-old played 66 games across all competitions for Spurs before leaving for the Bundesliga in 2016.
The midfielder has since played 97 games for Schalke, scoring 19 times, but is yet to feature this term after falling out of favour and way down the pecking order.