The Magpies are scouring world football for centre-backs as they look to sign two before the transfer window slams shut.
They have been showing interest in loaning Umtiti, a player Barcelona are prepared to let move on, but who does not want to say a permanent goodbye to the club.
Any move to St James’ Park or another club though is now firmly off the table after he suffered an injury.
Umtiti has fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and as such will need to go under the knife to fix the problem.
It is expected that it could take the defender around three months to recover.
As a result of the injury, any transfer away from Barcelona in this month’s transfer window has been ruled out.
Newcastle are looking at a host of centre-backs, including Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, but will now be able to remove Umtiti’s name from their list, with the defender unable to help them in their battle against relegation.
