NEWCASTLE UNITED are ready to call time on their pursuit of Jarrod Bowen, with Hull City’s valuation of the forward and competing interest from Tottenham Hotspur having convinced them there is little chance of being able to land the 22-year-old next month.

Bowen has featured prominently on the Magpies’ list of potential January targets from the moment Steve Bruce was appointed in the summer, with the Newcastle boss having worked with the attacking midfielder for the final two years of his spell at the KCOM Stadium.

Bruce had just left when Bowen made his senior Hull debut in August 2016, but the Magpies manager had watched the youngster’s rise through the Tigers’ academy set-up with admiration and has continued to receive glowing reports from some of his former colleagues on Humberside.

Bowen has emerged as one of the brightest talents in the Championship in the last 18 months, scoring 22 league goals last season and adding a further 15 from 22 starts in the current campaign.

His current contract is due to expire at the end of the season, and while there is a clause that will enable Hull to extend the deal by a further 12 months, it is widely anticipated that the Tigers will look to cash in at the turn of the year.

However, they are determined to drive a hard bargain, having valued Bowen at £20m when a number of clubs made inquiries prior to the start of the season.

Newcastle officials have raised the possibility of agreeing a lower fee, but their counterparts in the Hull hierarchy are adamant they be sticking to their asking price. The acrimonious nature of Bruce’s departure from the KCOM is a further complicating factor, with the former Hull boss privately admitting his strained relationship with the club could make it even more difficult to strike a deal.

To further muddy the water, Tottenham are preparing a bid of their own, with the club’s scouts having persuaded Jose Mourinho it is worth plucking Bowen from the Football League.

Mauricio Pochettino had given the green light to a pursuit of the youngster prior to his departure, and Spurs’ scouting team have continued to champion his abilities.

Mourinho has developed a reputation for buying ready-made talent throughout his career, but Spurs’ approach has generally been to recruit players that can be improved at White Hart Lane and the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss has agreed to cast his net wider than might ordinarily have been the case.

Leicester City have also been linked with a possible January move, and Newcastle’s recruitment team are adamant they will not be drawn into a bidding war involving clubs boasting greater financial resources when the transfer window reopens next month.

Bowen continues to publicly insist that he is happy at Hull, but he has conceded that he is aware of the mounting speculation regarding his future.

“I think the interest just comes when you are doing well on the pitch,” said Bowen. “So I’ve just got to put it to the back of my mind, do what I’m good at on the pitch and everything else will take care of itself, I’m sure.”

Newcastle’s immediate priority is Saturday’s home game with Crystal Palace, and while the Magpies have been hit with a series of injury blows – Ciaran Clark, Jonjo Shelvey and Miguel Almiron all remain extremely doubtful for the game, while Jamaal Lascelles, Matt Ritchie and Allan Saint-Maximin are definitely out – the Eagles also have mounting concerns of their own.

Gary Cahill, Patrick van Aanholt, Jeffrey Schlupp and Andros Townsend all missed Monday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton and are unlikely to feature on Saturday. Jairo Riedewald deputised at left-back on Monday, but was forced off at half-time with a hip problem.

* Newcastle will travel to Rochdale in the FA Cup third round after the League One side beat non-league Boston United on Monday night.

The Magpies will travel to Spotland for their first competitive meeting with Dale on Saturday, January 4 (ko 12.31pm).