Newcastle United is hoping to sign Stuttgart star Bilal El Khannouss after hitting a wall in negotiations for Matias Fernandez-Pardo. The club got frustrated. Those discussions included a reported 60 million euro bid for Fernandez-Pardo that was unsuccessful. That bid just failed.
Newcastle is considering the Moroccan international as a backup choice. The team wants a backup. The club pivoted to the Stuttgart player to prepare for the possibility that the transfer for Fernandez-Pardo stalls further and does not advance.