Newcastle United are looking to close a £12million deal with Aston Villa for left-back Matt Targett.
Talks took place on Tuesday with Newcastle looking to take up the option of signing the 26-year-old following his impressive loan spell.
Fulham had also shown an interest while Newcastle have considered other left-back options.
The Magpies fortunes changed beyond the January window, after a poor first half of the season.
Boss Eddie Howe began to shape his squad to his liking, bringing in a number of fresh faces.
He signed Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier permanently. Howe also brought in Aston Villa left-back Targett on loan.
Each of those signings made an impact, as Newcastle climbed away from the relegation places, and eventually finished 11th.
Targett missed just one league game following his loan, against Aston Villa, as he could not play against his parent club.
The left-back completed 90 minutes on every other occasion in the league for the Magpies. Indeed, his impact, along with the other signings, was clear to see.
Targett is not expected to be part of Villa's plans going forward after signing Lucas Digne in January, although Newcastle have been exploring their options at left-back.
Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle, 32, is in talks over a move to Championship side Middlesbrough.