Shimizu S-Pulse striker Cho Jae-jin still has ambitions of clinching a move to Newcastle United.

Cho is a free agent after terminating his contract at his Japanese club . But his chances of sealing a switch to St James's Park looked dashed when United officials broke off discussions.

However, Cho's agent, Kim Min-jae, last night told the Sunday Sun that he remained hopeful of striking a deal with Newcastle.

Four other Premier League sides are said to be interested in Cho, but his agent said: "At the moment, we are still totally focused on Newcastle.

"We haven't been given any information from Newcastle officials that the deal is definitely off. We will maybe re-negotiate about terms and conditions.

"We may come back to Newcastle this week."