NEWCASTLE UNITED remain confident of sealing a deal for Marc Guehi despite so far having been unable to agree a fee for the Crystal Palace defender.

The Magpies have now had two bids rejected for the England international, with Palace refusing to budge on their £65m valuation.

Newcastle’s recruitment team, led by sporting director Paul Mitchell, feel that is too high a price for a player who has entered the final two years of his contract at Selhurst Park, although it is hoped that further negotiations will result in a compromise agreement.

Eddie Howe is determined to add another centre-half to his squad, with Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles both expected to be unavailable for a number of months, with Guehi firmly established as Newcastle’s preferred option.

“We're hopeful to be active and to add at least one player to the group,” said Howe, after yesterday’s final pre-season friendly ended in a 1-0 win over French Ligue 1 side Brest. “Let's wait and see.

“It has to be about quality rather than quantity for us because we have got such a good squad, anyway, that if you're going to add players to it, they have to push the group to new levels.

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“So, that's what we're looking for, which is very difficult to find. There are not many players that will make us better. You have to stay calm. I don't think there's any use in any other emotion. We will try to make the right decisions given the conditions that we're working in. The window has been slightly slower this year. It does seem to be picking up now.”

Newcastle are also hoping to sign a right-sided attacker before the window closes, although the size of their budget for the position will be dependent on how much money they have to commit to signing Guehi or an alternative centre-half.

Chelsea’s Noni Madueke is regarded as an attractive option, with the Blues expected to sell the 22-year-old following their purchase of Pedro Neto from Wolves.

Madueke is a player who has featured on Newcastle’s long list of potential targets ever since breaking into the first-team ranks at Stamford Bridge, and the Magpies are understood to be weighing up a formal approach for the winger.

Anthony Elanga is another option, with Newcastle having discussed the 22-year-old’s position with Nottingham Forest during the talks that led to Elliot Anderson swapping St James’ Park for the City Ground.

Jarrod Bowen was regarded as a leading target earlier in the summer, but West Ham are determined to hold on to the England international and Newcastle have opted to commit more money to their defensive search as they look to land Guehi. As things stand, there is not the budget to fund a deal for Guehi and a move for Bowen.

While Howe wants to add to his squad this month, this weekend’s friendly double-header against Girona and Brest has underlined the depth of quality within the current group.

“The difference from sort of the middle of (last) season to the end of the season to now is we’ve got players back and, if we can keep them back, we will be stronger,” said Howe. “We've still obviously got Callum Wilson, Sven Botman, Jamal Lascelles - huge players, missing.

“That would make us stronger again, but with the likes of Sandro (Tonali) hopefully coming back and (Joe) Willock today, they are massive, massive players for us and they can make a difference.

“Harvey (Barnes) was missing, and I could go through the whole list of players that were missing last year, but they will make a big difference.”

Barnes scored the only goal of the game as Newcastle beat Brest yesterday, cutting in from the left-hand side after a pass from summer signing Lloyd Kelly. Recent addition William Osula led the line, and had a goal disallowed for offside, while 18-year-old Alfie Harrison played in a deep-lying midfield role.