Former Tottenham defender, and now of Hamburg, Thimothee Atouba, is being linked with Newcastle.

A statement on Hamburg's official website read: "He (Atouba) originally wanted to travel to England on Friday to undergo a medical with Premier League club Newcastle United, but then surprisingly turned up at team training.

"Because the Cameroonian's future is unclear, coach Martin Jol has removed him from the squad for (Arminia) Bielefeld."

Atouba, 26, joined Spurs in 2004 but spent only one season at White Hart Lane.