Rafa Benitez is being eyed again for a lucrative move to China.
Guangzhou Evergrande are planning to target Newcastle boss Benitez if their current coach Fabio Cannavaro quits to take over running the Chinese national team boss.
Benitez, whose deal runs out at the end of the season but is in talks over extending his three years sta on Tyneside, has already turned down the Chinese club once when he was previously approached.
Guangzhou were Chinese Super League runners-up last season having won the previous seven titles on the bounce.
Cannavaro, Italy's World Cup winning captain in 2006, banked £10m-a-year at Guangzhou and is the league's highest paid boss.
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The former Juventus defender combined his club role with leading China in the recent China Cup and he is now considering whether to take the job full-time.
Benitez is seeking guarantees and changes to how Newcastle currently do things while weighing up whether to sign a three-year deal extension.
He is likely to focus his contract negotiations on transfer funding, ambition, the sort of players he can target, and changes to the club's Academy — which are already taking place.
The man who led Liverpool to their 2005 Champions League Final triumph and has also won trophies with Chelsea, Valencia, Napoli and Inter Milan, and led Newcastle to promotion at the first time of asking two seasons ago, will be asked to strike a compromise on player ages.
Newcastle's Miguel Almiron sent off SEVEN MINUTES after coming on in friendly
Owner Mike Ashley wants the squad freshened up with younger players, signed when under 25, adding transfer value.
Benitez is not against this, but also wants scope to land a player approaching 30 if he adds experience — such as 29-year-old Salomon Rondon, currently doing well on a season's loan from West Brom.
Ironically, Newcastle are off to China in pre-season having signed to play in the biannual Asia Trophy.
The Magpies, Manchester City, Wolves and West Ham will play semi-finals in Shanghai and Nanjing before a third-place playoff and final.
