The Guardian says while the talks were far from wide-ranging, and the prospect of the match being staged at this stage are slim, the move reflects the desire of Premier League clubs to make in-roads into far-flung markets.

Tottenham's links with Newcastle stem from the friendship between their former vice-chairman, Paul Kemsley, and Mike Ashley, the St James' Park owner, and others have developed since. Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez, recently appointed as Newcastle directors, are close friends of Gus Poyet, the Tottenham assistant manager, and Chris Hughton, the former Tottenham assistant manager, has joined Kevin Keegan's coaching staff at Newcastle. Jimenez had previously worked with Ashley and Kemsley.

Ashley's company, Sport Direct, has bought a stake in the ITAT Group, the Chinese retail company - he intends to invest up to £20m - and Tottenham also have ties to China through their shirt sponsors Mansion, the online gambling operator.