Newcastle United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Malaga's teenage winger Antonio Cordero ahead of the summer transfer window.
Cordero has regularly been linked with a move to St James' Park, with one report from last month claiming that the highly-rated 18-year-old is expected to join the Magpies in the summer.
Newcastle were said to have beaten the likes of La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid to win the race for the Spain Under-19 international.
Fresh reports from Estadio Deportivo have since claimed that the Magpies face competition from Porto to sign Cordero, as the Portuguese club have matched their approach for the winger.
It has previously been suggested that Malaga will find it difficult to keep hold of Cordero, who is due to see his contract with the Spanish second-tier side expire at the end of June.
However, the possibility of Cordero, also known as Antonito, remaining at Malaga has not been ruled out by club director Kike Perez.
© Imago
Malaga director hoping to keep hold of Newcastle-linked Cordero
Speaking to PTV Malaga's Zona Deporte about Cordero's future and reported interest in his services, Perez said: "I have hope because, and I've always said this, I'm no longer saying this as someone who works at Malaga or as their general director.
"I'm saying this as someone who works in football. Things will happen, and in the end, we'll see what happens.
"I see it as logical [for Cordero to stay at Malaga]. I don't think that whether you're here or not, people give everything until the end.
"I'm not one to hold things against others. Whoever's here, as long as they give everything they have, there's nothing to say."
Cordero has made 50 first-team appearances for Malaga since and including his debut in 2023, scoring five goals and registering six assists in 29 second-tier matches so far this season.
Newcastle are expected to target a new winger in the summer after allowing Miguel Almiron to re-join Atlanta United on a permanent deal in January, but it remains unknown as to whether they would intend to immediately integrate Cordero into Eddie Howe's first-team squad should they win the race for his signature.
Oliver Thomas
