Newcastle United have pulled the brakes on negotiations to sign Monaco left-back Antonio Barreca, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims that the Magpies were discussing a deal to sign the Italian, but they have now moved their focus to signing Lazio left-back Jordan Lukaku instead.
It is understood that Newcastle are expected to agree terms with Lukaku, 24, after opening talks to sign him on loan.
OPINION
Rafa Benitez certainly needs to sign a new left-back this month as back-up to Paul Dummett, so Barreca and Lukaku would both be solid additions in that regard. Both of them have had similar seasons. Barreca has played just nine times in all competitions for relegation-threatened Monaco while Lukaku has made just eight total appearances for Lazio this term. Neither of them are that amazing at what they do but for cheap back-up options, they should do the job. It is more than likely that Mike Ashley has let Benitez go after these two players because they are quite cheap. A loan deal probably makes sense considering the fact that Ashley might sell Newcastle once and for all this year, but a loan-to-buy agreement would be much better if Lukaku takes off and does well in the Premier League. Dummett will more than likely still be the first-choice left-back though.