NEWCASTLE UNITED will open contract talks with Cheick Tiote before the end of the season, with Alan Pardew admitting the midfielder was unsettled by an approach from Lokomotiv Moscow this summer.

Newcastle officials rebuffed Lokomotiv’s interest in their 28-year-old midfielder, although Mike Ashley’s insistence that ‘every player has their price’ means they were never in a position to categorically rule out selling the Ivory Coast international.

Having missed the first four league games of the season through injury, Tiote will make only his second Premier League start when Newcastle travel to Stoke City this evening looking to lift themselves out of the bottom three.

The African remains one of the Magpies’ key players, and while his current contract does not expire until 2016, Pardew would like to agree terms on a new deal to ensure Tiote remains a key part of the club’s plans.

“We obviously had a team fighting for his services, but the finance was never really in place,” said the Newcastle boss. “I think the reality was that we were quite comfortable that he wasn't going to go anywhere, but I think it was a period of unsettlement for him.

"I think his contract situation needs to be resolved at the end of the season, for sure. I love him. He's everything that you want in a Newcastle player.

“He has the quality, and of course you'll never underestimate the fact that he wants to win. That's something we have to be very careful about on training days!”

Newcastle badly missed Tiote’s experience and combative qualities in the early weeks of the season, and while Pardew can at least call on his services now, he is having to do without Siem de Jong, who was arguably his key summer signing.

Papiss Cisse is only just returning to full fitness after a lengthy injury absence, and Pardew admits he is looking forward to a time when all of his senior players are available and at full strength.

“I thought the core of our team was very strong at the start of the season,” he said. “I was thinking (Fabricio) Coloccini, (Tim) Krul, Cheick, Siem, Papiss, (Emmanuel) Riviere - I thought that was really strong.

“Of course, we haven't really had it. Not once has that played. Cheick missed the first few games, and then Siem got injured. Our core has been disrupted, but just having the bottom part of it back was very important in the last couple of games.”

Adam Armstrong’s performance was one of the major positives to emerge from Wednesday’s Capital One Cup win at Crystal Palace, and while the 17-year-old is expected to return to the substitutes’ bench at the Britannia Stadium, Pardew insists he will not be afraid to pitch him into a Premier League starting line-up soon.

Having started nervously against Palace, Armstrong finished the game extremely strongly, and Pardew was impressed with his mental resolve.

“With him, it's not about his body,” he said. “Physically, I think he's ready. It's about his confidence. Has he got the ability to deal with setbacks in games? He answered that question a bit the other night.

“It would have been easy for him not to have played well for the whole of the first half after that start. That's given me confidence in him that he can handle these situations.

“In training, all the guys probably know he's got a bit to do, but he's getting there. We've got to make it right for him - make the atmosphere right for him to play. But it does really come down to Arma's strength of mind and, from what I've seen, I think he’s got that.”

Krul will return to tonight’s starting line-up after missing the trip to Selhurst Park through illness, while Daryl Janmaat should be available to face Stoke despite suffering a tight hamstring against Palace.

Yoan Gouffran is available, and unless he changes formation to field two centre-forwards, Pardew must decide whether to start with Riviere, who scored two goals on Wednesday, or Cisse, who came off the bench to score twice against Hull nine days ago.

Likely line-ups:

Stoke (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Bardsley, Wilson, Shawcross, Pieters; Nzonzi, Whelan; Moses, Diouf, Adam; Crouch.

Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Krul; Janmaat, Coloccini, Williamson, Dummett; Tiote, Colback; Sissoko, Cabella, Gouffran; Riviere.