Diego Carlos: Newcasle pushing to sign defender and are awaiting response from Sevilla after submitting bid

Newcastle are continuing to push to sign Diego Carlos and are awaiting a response from Sevilla after submitting a bid for the defender.

Signing a centre-back is Newcastle’s primary focus after the arrival of striker Chris Wood from Burnley for £25m on Thursday.

The Premier League side retain a strong interest in Benoit Badiashile, but a deal for the Monaco defender is now looking unlikely after he sustained an injury during his side’s draw with Nantes.

Another stumbling block is Monaco’s asking price, with the Ligue 1 side looking for a fee in the region of €60m (£50m) for the 20-year-old.

Carlos, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics with Brazil in the summer, has made 27 appearances for Sevilla this season, scoring two goals.

Lille’s Sven Botman was their primary centre-back target, but the French club are only willing to do business for around £36m.

Eddie Howe’s desire to improve his defence is understandable, with his Newcastle side having conceded 42 goals in just 19 Premier League games this season. Only Norwich have a worse defensive record.