Newcastle United have been handed a major boost in their bid to sign Brentford star Yoane Wissa before the deadline after he was left out of their squad against Aston Villa.
The Bees striker had returned to first-team training with Keith Andrews' squad in recent days after going on strike to push through a move to St James' Park, with the Magpies chasing his signature for the majority of the transfer window.
But after Eddie Howe's side submitted a new £35m + £5m offer for the DR Congo international this week which was rejected, there was concern that a deal could fall apart.
Newcastle Get Wissa Boost Ahead of Deadline
Yoane Wissa in action for Brentford
Wissa, who has been described as 'extraordinary', was considered to be back in the mix ahead of the west London club's clash with Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon after he returned to training.
But after his name didn't appear on the team sheet ahead of the game, manager Andrews revealed that he was left out because of the situation regarding the 28-year-old's future.
"It’s not right to involve him in the squad. The team is the focus and I felt that was the right thing to do.”
While a deal is no closer to being completed at the time of writing, it would suggest that Newcastle are in a stronger position than initially thought with the player still pushing for a move.
Wissa is desperate to play Champions League football and has made it clear to Brentford that he wants to join Newcastle, but the Bees have held firm on their £60m valuation so far.
But with a little over a week remaining of the transfer window, the striker's absence from the squad suggests that Andrews is ready to proceed through the season without having him available, which could bring Newcastle back to the negotiation table.
How much it will take to get a deal over the line remains to be seen, but Newcastle have been optimistic for much of the window, and with Alexander Isak still pushing to leave, this is one that is likely to go right down to the wire.
Sign up to The GIVEMESPORT Reportto get exclusive daily updates from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Dean Jones and Tom Bogert sent straight to your inbox.