Magpies could make it a double swoop

Newcastle could yet make a double swoop ahead of the transfer deadline by reviving their interest in Brazilian World Cup winner Kleberson.

Newcastle’s take-it-or-leave-it offer for the Atletico Paranaense midfielder remains on the table, and it is understood that officials are due on Tyneside today to re-open negotiations at the eleventh-hour.

The South Americans initially dismissed Newcastle’s bid as derisory, but with no other prospective buyer – Leeds, Roma and Bayer Leverkusen also expressed an interest – having met their demands, they face the prospect of failing to cash in.

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd travelled to Sao Paolo last week to discuss the matter, but returned empty-handed after seeing his offer rebuffed.

He has since been concentrating on the matter of luring Jonathan Woodgate from Elland Road to St James’ Park, a fishing trip which seems certain to pay dividends later today after Leeds accepted a £9m (€13.7m) bid and granted the 23-year-old permission to talk to the Tynesiders.

However, with time running out before tonight’s deadline, whether or not Newcastle could process two deals in time remains to be seen, and there is little question about where their priorities lie.