Hull manager Phil Brown says he is not prepared to meet the current asking price for Newcastle full-back Habib Beye.
Brown has seen an initial offer of £2million for Beye rejected, with the Magpies reported to want £4million for the Senegal international.
Beye has subsequently handed in a transfer request as he seeks a way out of St James' Park following Newcastle's relegation from the Premier League.
Aston Villa and Blackburn have also been linked with the 31-year-old, and Brown remains hopeful of bringing Beye to the KC Stadium.
However, he has warned he will not match the Magpies' valuation and concedes the uncertainty at the Championship club is making a deal difficult.
"To hear him handing in a transfer request it shows the intention that Habib Beye wants to leave Newcastle first and foremost," Brown told the Hull Daily Mail.
"Two, that he knows of our interest, and three that the transfer valuation for him is something that we're not prepared to go to.
"But I'll emphasise it again, who do you deal with at Newcastle? Is it the chief exec? Is it the chairman or is it a manager?
"We're not sure and therein lies the grey area."
