Check Tiote is rumoured to be on his way out of St James Park, reports The Shields Gazette.
Nothing new in that assertion; Rafa Benitez has made no secret of the fact that Tiote is one of the players frequently referred to as ‘Deadwood’.
Rafa is too polite and wily – he may need the midfielder, after all – to be so blunt but with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp pulling the plug on Lucas Leiva’s move to Galatasaray, the Turkish club are turning their attention to the Ivory Coast international.
Gala were willing to pay £4m for the Brazilian so Newcastle’s fee demands are well within their capabilities. The recent political instability has caused some players to shy away from a move to Istanbul but so far, no comment has been made by Tiote or his agent.
Reports also suggest that Watford and Abu Dhabi club Al-Jazira, are also rumoured to be interested in Tiote.