Brown confirmed he is waiting to hold talks with Newcastle after recently submitting a bid for the Senegal defender.

Beye is said to have handed in a transfer request at the Championship side but Brown believes negotiations remain difficult due to the uncertainty at St James' Park.

"It doesn't really affect things," he said.

"It shows an intention for Habib Beye to get out of Newcastle.

"The transfer fee for Habib Beye is way above what we are prepared to go to.

"But I emphasise the problem is who do you deal with at Newcastle, is it the chairman, is it a coach, is it an organiser?

"We are not sure where we are with the situation."

Brown was speaking after his side lost 3-0 to Premier League rivals Tottenham in the final of the Barclays Asia Trophy today.

A brace from Robbie Keane plus an Aaron Lennon goal secured the win for Spurs.

But despite the result, Brown believes the whole experience benefited the club.

"I thought it was a good work-out," he added.

"I thought it would be tough as they have a lot of quality. They can retain possession well.

"We worked hard tonight. In terms of fitness the tour has been an absolutely tremendous experience.

"It has been a tough week in terms of fitness levels but we will get back to Hull on Sunday evening and have a couple of days' rest."

Tottenham's performance was all the more impressive considering it was their fourth game in seven days.

Brown predicted they will do well this season, especially with the likes of Peter Crouch and Ledley King still to come into the side.

"It's always a little false in pre-season but having watched them against West Ham I was more than interested in the way they play football," he added. "They were bright and sharp.

"With all that in mind they still have Peter Crouch back home, Michael Dawson, Ledley King. It bodes well for Tottenham.

"They are a big club and showed their quality tonight.. It's a big ask (to break into the top four) but they will be knocking at the door."