Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has urged in-demand striker Demba Ba to sign a new contract with the Tyneside club, after talks between the 27-year-old and Chelsea broke down.
The Magpies have offered Ba a new deal but he has yet to make a decision on his future, with several Premier League sides keen on the Senegal international.
Ba and his representatives met with Chelsea yesterday, but talks amounted to little and it appears any prospective move to Stamford Bridge is now off the table.
And Pardew has now urged his star forward, who has scored 13 league goals already this term, to remain in the north-east.
'I still think it’s even whether he will stay or go,' said Pardew.
'In this window, I would like to think he will stay in the situation we are in. But that will be probably his decision.
'But he can’t be disappointed with the way we have treated him. We have been brilliant for him and therefore, I hope he rewards us by staying with us for the next couple of years.'
The news that Chelsea now look certain to miss out on one of their top January transfer targets is expected to spark a frenzy among other Premier League sides keen on acquiring the Senegal international's services, with several clubs including Tottenham and QPR thought to be interested.
Arsene Wenger had already ruled Arsenal out of the running for his signature, leaving Chelsea as firm favourites to land the 27-year-old, but talks on Sunday night appear to have broken down over wage negotiations.
Ba is available for £7.5million – the sum required to activate a release clause in his Newcastle contract – but the value of any deal is expected to be far in excess of that figure, with considerable signing on fees, agent fees and a lucrative salary package all inflating the price.
~Metro » Football | Metro UK~Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com
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