There's no new breakthrough in United's on-off attempt to sign central defender Fabricio Coloccini from Deportivo La Coruna.

The 26 year-old Argentinean failed to join his side's pre -season tour of Venezuela, following which his agent revealed that Deportivo had attempted to bump up the transfer fee - and threatened to advise his client to "do a Webster" under FIFA Article 17.

Tuesday's update from the Spanish media was that Newcastle had refused a request from Deportivo to negotiate directly and were dealing only with the agent.

Despite reaching an impasse however, the admission by Deportivo's coach that he had spent the duration of the flight to Venezuela viewing DVDs of possible defensive replacements for Coloccini suggests this isn't quite over