Newcastle are back in the hunt for Argentina ace Juan Roman Riquelme.
The Villarreal outcast has been told to quit Spain in the January transfer window after falling out with club bosses over his attitude.
Riquelme, 29, has not played at all this season and Sam Allardyce is weighing up an £8million move to boost his midfield options.
Brazilian club Fluminese and Atletico Madrid remain interested but Allardyce will tempt playmaker Riquelme with the guarantee of first-team football.
Villarreal president Fernando Roig wants a deal sorted as soon as possible and admitted: “I think that the situation is going to be solved in December.”
