Newcastle will have to pay Galatasaray £22.8million if they are to sign defender Marcao, a report from Turkish outlet Fotomac has claimed.
Reports from Turkey earlier this summer had claimed that the Magpies are interested in signing the defender, who was reportedly available for £13million.
According to this latest report however, it may take more than that for Newcastle to secure the services of the Brazilian, with Galatasaray said to be demanding €25million (£22.8million) for the sale of the 24-year-old.
Along with Newcastle, Italian giants Roma and French outfit Lyon have also been credited with an interest in Marcao, opening this up to a potential bidding war.
As things stand, there are still two years remaining on Marcao’s contract with Galatasaray, securing his future with the Turkish giants until the end of the 2021/22 season, and putting the club in a decent position to negotiate any offers that might come in for him.
That is something that is likely to be a concern for Newcastle, as they look to strengthen their squad in what remains of the window.
It does seem as though Steve Bruce still wants to add a centre back to his side – with recent performances suggesting that he is right to want to do so – and Marcao could have been a decent to do that with.
However, having already spent big this summer on the likes of Callum Wilson and Jamal Lewis, you have to wonder how much they have left for a deal as expensive as this, especially when there could be a bidding war involved.
As a result, it does feel slightly hard to imagine Marcao being a Newcastle player this season, and with time ticking down in the transfer window, the Magpies need to move quickly now if they are to get a new centre back in at St James’.