Newcastle United's prospects of signing Barcelona centre-back Marlon do not look good, according to Chronicle.
Rafael Benitez has targeted the Brazilian defender, who spent last season on loan in France with Nice, as he looks for deals to be pushed over the line.
Newcastle are involved in a race against time to sign Marlon as the transfer window for Premier League clubs to sign players closes at 5pm this evening.
Barcelona have been looking to sell Marlon, while Newcastle were claimed to be keener on an initial loan.
A major hurdle though could be a work permit.
Marlon only moved to Spain with Barcelona in 2016 and has never won a senior cap with Brazil.
The defender has only turned out for Brazil at Under-20 level and it remains to be seen if Newcastle could make a case for a work permit to be granted.
Marlon could still move to a non-Premier League club this summer beyond Thursday, with other windows remaining open.
