Tioté to Sporting Gijón once Newcastle deal is terminated
The defensive midfielder has fallen out of favour at the Championship side and has reportedly held talks with Sporting de Gijón over a possible deal.
Cheik Tioté's current deal with Newcastle United is set to expire in under six months and the club and player are currently trying to negotiate a deal that would see him free to sign with a new club with the termination of his Newcastle deal.
Sporting Gijón in LaLiga have been touted as a very possible desination. The Asturian club's director of football Nico Rodriguez has been in England to negotiate a deal but reports are that "progress has been slow" with any potential deal.
Tioté not in Rafa's plans
The 30-year-old has only played twice this season for Rafa Benitez' side with one of them coming as a substitute and the other, a start, against Birmingham in the FA Cup. He was subsequently taken off after 65 minutes of that game.
La Nueva Espana, an asturian-based newspaper say that Abelardo, Sporting's manager, has requested Tioté in an effort to strengthen their squad and their is a feeling of mild optimism that the deal can go through. They also report that Leganés are interested in the midfielder as the pair look down the barrel at a very important six months in LaLiga as they look to fight relegation.