Newcastle manager Alan Pardew growing frustrated with Jose Enrique

Alan Pardew, Newcastle United

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Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is growing frustrated at Jose Enrique’s reluctance to begin contract negotiations and has hinted he could be sold in the summer.

The defender has been a star performer for Newcastle this season and has been linked with a move to Liverpool and Pardew has revealed the left-back has refused to talk about extending his deal.

“Mike Ashley came on Thursday and we talked about certain players,” Pardew said in an article in the Northern Echo.

“The Enrique situation is something we talked about. How possible is it going to be to get him over the line?

“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.”

Joey Barton has been another key performer to Newcastle’s success this season but his future is also in doubt with contract talks again stalling.

“I’ve stated all along that I want Joey to stay,” added the Newcastle boss.

“Whether we can reach an agreement with him, we’ll have to see.

“We came very close before, very close. It was almost a 12th-hour decision that it didn’t get done, so we’ll have to wait and see how that unfolds.”