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Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has been knocked back in his pursuit of Lille star Thiago Maia, as the Ligue 1 club want a permanent deal for the midfielder.

According to Mercato, Newcastle have been told by Lille that they must offer a permanent deal for the Brazilian, instead of the loan move with an option to buy which the Magpies were proposing. 

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Maia, 21-years-old, is currently rated at €25m by the Ligue 1 club, with Newcastle offering up to €20m for the defensive midfielder. 

The youngster has only spent one season at Lille after a €14m move from Brazilian side Santos in July 2017. The midfielder made a total of 34 appearances in Ligue 1, and a number of Premier League clubs have been keeping tabs on him.

Maia was part of the Brazilian team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing fourth after a semi-final loss to Sweden, before a third place playoff loss to Canada. 

West Ham United have been another side to show interest in the Brazilian, as boss Manuel Pellegrini continues his summer overhaul since arriving at the London Stadium. 

Benitez has found it difficult to do business so far this summer, with a lack of transfer funds resulting in the Spanish boss only making a small number of acquisitions at St. James' Park. 

The Magpies have signed Ki Sung-yueng, who's contract expired at relegated Swansea, as well as former loanee Martin Dubravka and most recently Japanese forward Yoshinori Muto. 

They also added Chelsea winger Kenedy on a season-long loan and signed Fabian Schar from Deportivo la Coruna.