Abu Dhabi: Al Jazira have joined Marseille in the hunt to sign the Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote for £2.5million (Dh 13.03m), according to a report in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper on Wednesday.
The Abu Dhabi Arabian Gulf League outfit are expected to offload one, if not both, their two foreign midfielders, Angel Lafita and Park Jong-woo, in the summer as they bid to mount a title challenge next season.
The Pride of Abu Dhabi finished a disappointing seventh in the 2015-16 campaign, but won last month’s President’s Cup and hope to build on this momentum with big-name signings like Tiote.
The Ivory Coast international has made 53 appearances for his country and 138 for Newcastle since moving to the Championship club in 2010 from the Dutch side FC Twente. He has one year left on his contract and is ready to leave Rafa Benitez’s side, according to the Mail report, following their relegation to England’s second tier.
Meanwhile, Al Jazira are also likely to be in the market for a new foreign striker and winger.
Kenwyne Jones, the forward who joined the club on a six-month loan from Cardiff City in January, has not been offered a contract extension, while the Peruvian winger Jefferson Farfan is a reported target for Argentina’s Racing Club.
Al Jazira are expected to retain Mirko Vucinic, the 2014-15 AGL top goalscorer, however.
The club are also poised to offer their Dutch coach Henk ten Cate, who replaced Abel Braga in the hotseat in January, a new 12-month deal when he returns from a long break in his homeland.
