Jose Enrique could be on his way out of Newcastle United this summer if he refuses to sign a new contract, with Liverpool his top potential destination.
Magpies boss Alan Pardew has said he wants the left-back to stay in the north-east if possible, but admitted it will be difficult to keep hold of the in-demand star - especially as he is currently refusing to discuss a new deal.
Enrique's contract is due to expire next summer, with both Liverpool and Lyon reportedly targeting the defender as a possible signing.
And Pardew admitted Newcastle may decide to cash in on the defender when the transfer window reopens - rather than having to let him leave on a free next year.
'The Enrique situation is something we talked about. How possible is it going to be to get him over the line?,' he said.
'It's difficult because we're finding it difficult to get him to come to the table. We're safe, which was what his people said that they would wait for.'
'It's now the last game, and once we get the last game out of the way we'll sit down and see where we are with it.
'We're very hopeful he stays but there's no point keeping a player who has set his sights on a club he has perceived is bigger. You can't keep a player that's unmotivated.'
Pardew added that there are 'one or two' other players at the club involved in similar situations.
Enrique joined Newcastle from Villarreal in August 2007 for a fee of £6.3 million. The highly-rated star has previously played for the Spanish U-21 side and is nicknamed 'The Bull'.
No comments:
Post a Comment