Lille defender Mathieu Debuchy, who has been linked with Chelsea, could reportedly see a move to Newcastle fall through.
Newcastle failed with a £4million bid for Debuchy last month and are believed to have since returned with an improved offer in the past couple of weeks.
Chelsea and Inter Milan have both shown interest in the right-back in recent weeks, but it appeared that a move to Tyneside was on the cards after the player last week said joining Newcastle was "one of my priorities".
But according to Sky Sports, Newcastle could be ready to look at alternative options as they struggle to agree a fee with Lille for the 26-year-old, who returned to pre-season training with the Ligue 1 club on Monday.
Chelsea in recent days are believed to have stepped up their interest in Cesar Azpilicueta, but with Marseille wanting over £8million for the Spaniard, the Blues are thought to also be considering other options, which could lead to their interest in Debuchy being renewed.
Debuchy had last week told L'Equipe: "Lille can refuse any insufficient offers. The clubs must reach an agreement. That is not yet the case.
"Newcastle has already proposed €5million. I do not know how much the directors of Lille are seeking. I am a defender. An extraordinary offer cannot be expected."
And he added: "My wish is to leave. I want to experience another championship. I recently read that I would have extended [my contract] until 2016. This upset me. It is not true. I hope that in the coming days, and not weeks, things will settle.
"I want to leave LOSC. The coach wants to keep me here, but I will not change my mind. I still keep that hope. I will try to go elsewhere."