Inter Milan are reportedly prepared to outbid Newcastle United for Lille full-back Mathieu Debuchy.
The 27-year-old, whose current contract expires in June 2015, has been persistently linked with a move to the Magpies over the past 10 weeks.
Newcastle remain keen on bringing Debuchy to the Sports Direct Arena, however they are believed to be unwilling to spend more than £6m on his transfer fee.
According to The Mirror, Inter chiefs have held talks with Lille and the Serie A giants are preparing a £7m bid.
Debuchy has been capped nine times by France at senior international level.