Newcastle United are reportedly in 'discussions' to potentially activate the release clause of Yannick Carrasco before tonight's transfer deadline.

The Lowdown: What a career

Carrasco has had a great footballing career so far, having last year won the La Liga title with Atletico Madrid, as well as the Europa League back in 2017/18 (Transfermarkt).

He has made more than 350 senior appearances at club level at 28 years of age, and also has 54 senior caps for the Belgium national team.

Nonetheless, with it set to be a very busy day at St James' Park, the Magpies need all the bodies they can get for the relegation fight ahead.

The Latest: Carrasco talks

As per Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, talks are now taking place between Newcastle and Carrasco's agent over potentially triggering his €60m (£49.9m) release clause, but Tottenham Hotspur are also in the race. He tweeted:

"Info: Discussions in progress between Pini Zahavi, the new agent of Yannick Carrasco, and #Tottenham and #Newcastle. 

"Both clubs are ready to pay his 60M release clause € before the end of the transfer window.

"Contract negotiations started with Pini Zahavi."

The Verdict: Why not?

As money is not an object to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, why not pay the money to get in another quality player in Carrasco?

Newcastle already have Allan Saint-Maximin as an option for the wing, but other quality choices are rather scarce, with Jacob Murphy and Ryan Fraser only managing one goal between them so far this season.

Add Carrasco's experience into the equation, and it could be another shrewd piece of business from the new owners on Tyneside as the clock ticks towards the 11pm deadline.

In other news, find out which NUFC target has spoken to Dan Burn ahead of a potential move