Miguel Almiron is “keen” on a January switch to the Premier League – and is choosing between Newcastle United and West Ham .
The Paraguayan No10 will cost around £25m and is likely to leave MLS side Atlanta in the New Year.
The 24-year-old’s agent has also listened to offers from Arsenal and Spurs but would face a tough battle to get into their teams.
Newcastle have sent their chief scout Steve Nicksen to the US to get the details of the deal – and Rafa Benitez raised hopes yesterday by admitting there are getting closer to having a deal lined up, without hinting at which player.
Asked if he was ready to “strike early” in January, Benitez said: “Yes I thinks so. If you identify the player and say this one, that’s it. We are close. But we will see what happens.”
“We have to find the right players. Believe me, the right players and after we can start to work on that. It doesn’t matter if we say we have this or that. The way it works is: we want this one… ok, go. Then we work on what is it.
"I receive phone calls from agents all the time. They give you names. I talk with Steve in the scouting department. Then I give names and he works on that and we see the reports. Then we decide this is the player: GO.”
Asked if he was ready to break Newcastle’s £17m transfer record spent on Michael Owen, Benitez said: “I have no idea. We have to find the right players. Sometimes it is not about the money. Just the right players at the right time.”