NEWCASTLE UNITED have edged a step closer to landing England winger Andros Townsend after Tottenham indicated a willingness to budge on their £14m asking price.

Townsend, who was Under-21s duty for Spurs against Liverpool on Monday night, wants to move this week and Newcastle stepped up their efforts after it emerged Southampton have been in touch to express an interest.

Steve McClaren, the Newcastle head coach, is desperate to have a new striker and winger on board before the transfer window closes at 11pm next Monday night.

But there has been a lack of progress in negotiations with West Brom over the reputed £30m valuation of Saido Berahino and Tottenham for Townsend until now.

The length of time it has taken Newcastle and Spurs to reach an agreement has led to Southampton showing an interest in Townsend and that has prompted further top level discussions between St James’ Park and White Hart Lane.

The Saints, who have already landed former Newcastle target Charlie Austin for £4m this month, are considering making a firm offer for Townsend and his Leytonstone roots could play a part in any decision he has to make, with nearby Watford also keen.

Newcastle, who have denied reports that a fee has already been agreed with Tottenham, are in need of a lift having dropped back into the relegation zone by two points following the latest round of fixtures and defeat at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

They do not play again until February 3 at Everton, two days after the transfer window closes.

Improving Newcastle’s attacking options before that deadline is McClaren’s priority, which is why Alexandre Lacazette’s name has resurfaced over the last 24 hours.

The Lyon striker was the subject of an offer from Newcastle earlier this month, but it was rebuffed and it was reported that he did not want to leave.

That prompted Newcastle to focus attentions on Berahino and they have struggled to persuade West Brom to do a deal, even though the England Under-21s striker has only been on the periphery under Tony Pulis.

Lacazette, who has been on chief scout Graham Carr’s hit list for a number of years, scored 27 goals in Ligue 1 last season and has always envisaged his next move would be to a club playing in the Champions League.

McClaren does not want the window to close without any further additions; his only striker with a proven Premier League goalscoring record is Papiss Cisse and he is injured.

It could be that in the final couple of days of the window Newcastle turn their attentions elsewhere if they are still struggling to get a deal for Berahino or Lacazette over the line. Loic Remy, who is interesting Leicester, is a loan option from Chelsea.

Remy is keen to leave Stamford Bridge after failing to hold down a first-team place despite the Blues’ indifferent season. Newcastle have so far resisted the temptation to take him back to St James’ but that could change at the last minute if he hasn’t already moved on.

Meanwhile, Newcastle’s attempts to sell Cheik Tiote are ongoing after Shanghai Shenhua pulled out of an £8m deal for the Ivorian.

Tiote was in China last week but could not agree terms and returned home. McClaren had hoped it would still go through, but that now looks unlikely.

He could still end up in the Far East, though, with a couple more Chinese clubs keen on the former FC Twente man, including Beijing Guoan.