Sporting Gijon have met with a delegation from Newcastle United to discuss the possibility of signing Cheick Tiote this window after meeting with the midfielder’s agent, The Chronicle have revealed.
Gijon’s Director of Football Nico Rodriguez met with Tiote’s representatives in London on Monday in a bid to tempt the Ivorian to the La Liga side, which appears to have been successful.
Sporting are unable to stump up a large fee for the player and cannot afford the lucrative pay packets offered by the Chinese sides, which could be a potential stumbling block for the Spanish outfit in their pursuit of Tiote. Tiote has his heart set on one final pay day it would seem, though the prospect of playing in the Spanish top tier must be an attraction to the player.
After a lengthy spell on the sidelines and getting few chances to prove himself in the first-team under Rafa Benitez, added to not impressing when handed an opportunity last weekend against Birmingham, Tiote could be the latest long-serving Newcastle player to depart from the club. His contract is set to expire in the summer and the club have no intentions of offering him a new deal.
Tiote has emerged as a priority signing for Sporting Gijon, but they have lined up back-ups in the shape of Marko Vejinovic of Feyenoord and Lucas Cigarini from Sampdoria.
