Arsenal step up chase for Newcastle's Tiote

Alan Pardew warned Newcastle to brace themselves for late bids for their stars as the transfer window ticked towards deadline day. And, right on cue the Sunday Mirror claim that Cheick Tiote has now emerged as Arsene Wenger’s number one target. The Ivory Coast International has been one of the most highly-courted players in the Premier League ever since he arrived two years ago.
Chelsea, Man City and Man United are just the few other clubs tracking the 26 year old midfield enforcer, with Newcastle desperately holding on to the Ivory International in the face of incessant interest. The one trick used by the Magpies to fend off interest has been to push the asking fee towards £20m , which is an astronomical jump from the £3.5m Newcastle paid Twente in 2010.


Read more......