Albert Luque's position at Newcastle United remains in limbo after seeing a move to Levante collapse yesterday.

Luque was not involved at Bolton either and his immediate future remains unclear. The striker had been given permission to negotiate a return to his homeland and although Espanyol and Real Betis decided not to pursue their initial interest, Levante were keen to recruit the 29-year-old.

Levante officials last night pulled the plug and instead paid £340,000 to sign Christian Rigano from Messina. Luque's wage demands are understood to have been responsible for the collapse and, although Feyenoord have registered an interest in recent weeks, the player's prohibitive personal terms seem certain to keep him in the North-East.