Cheick Tiote in limbo at Newcastle as transfer deadline edges closer

Tiote travelled to Turkey over the weekend for talks with the Istanbul club.

But the move fell through amid reports in the country that the midfielder had failed a medical.

However, it is understood that the proposed deal broke down over contractual issues, not a medical problem.

Tiote is desperate to end his stay at St James’s Park this summer.

However, time is running out for him to get a move ahead of tomorrow night’s transfer deadline.

There is interest from Greek club Olympiacos in Tiote, who has spent the last six years at Newcastle.

The Ivory Coast’s appearances for the club over the past two seasons have been limited by form and fitness.

A proposed £4million move to Shanghai Shenhua broke down in January, and Tiote, signed from Dutch club FC Twente in 2010, went on to feature for Newcastle in the second half of last season.

But Tiote does not figure in manager Rafa Benitez’s plans at United.

And the 30-year-old would find himself on the very fringes of Benitez’s squad should a move not materialise before the deadline.

Tiote – who was a target for Premier League club Watford earlier in the transfer window – is in the final year of his contract at St James’s Park.

An English top-flight side club could yet move for Tiote, who has made 153 appearances, and scored one goal, for Newcastle.