Sevilla confirm Diego Carlos not leaving despite 'very good' Newcastle offer

Sevilla sporting director Monchi has confirmed that Newcastle target Diego Carlos will not leave the club before the January transfer deadline next week.

However, he didn’t rule the Brazilian leaving the club in the summer if a similar offer is made again.

Newcastle were very keen on signing Carlos this month. But 90min had already revealed earlier this week that Sevilla are not entertaining offers and Monchi’s comments now confirm that news.

“The Newcastle offer was a good offer, a respectable offer. I have to say that,” he told i news.

“But the offer, our board and management team thought it wasn’t enough. It’s true that maybe it wasn’t the right time. It’s a difficult market to find a replacement for a player like Diego Carlos.

“It’s a market that takes place over a very short period of time. Maybe if that offer comes along in the summer then things might have changed.”

The implication is that in a less fraught transfer window, with more time and flexibility to secure a replacement, Sevilla would have been open to selling without a club having to trigger an €80m (£66m) release clause. It potentially gives Newcastle hope should they wish to try again in the summer.

For the time being, 90min understands that the Magpies have a number of other centre-back options they are still considering this month – that includes Marseille’s Croatia international Duje Caleta-Car. But pursuits of Sven Botman and Nico Schlotterbeck have also fallen short.

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