Liverpool and Arsenal in for Enrique

Jose Enrique will be sold to the highest bidder by Newcastle after Alan Pardew revealed the player is not 'focused' on the club.

Toon manager Pardew has admitted they won't keep Enrique this summer, which would mean running the risk of losing out on a potential £8million-plus transfer fee.

The Spanish left-back, a target for Arsenal and Liverpool, has been offered one of the club's most lucrative contracts in recent times - according to Pardew - but is refusing to sign.

So, the Magpies' boss wants a deal to be struck swiftly so he can reinvest the cash from the sale in buying a replacement.

As Newcastle prepare to kick off their pre-season fixtures tonight against Darlington, Pardew said of Enrique: "There is a slight difference between Joey Barton's situation, with a year left on his contract, and Jose.

"Joey seems pretty focused on Newcastle whereas the noises coming out of Jose's camp are that he wants to get a new club [that is] playing Champions League football.

"We cannot offer him that at the moment, so that seems to be his focus. Hopefully that will change.

"It is a moving feast. We have got to be ready because if he goes, it is going to leave a big hole in the team and we need to fill it quickly. But he does travel to the United States with us.

"It is not ideal for us, as you can imagine. It is difficult. We have offered him a massive contract for this football club and he does not seem to want to sign it, so it is a very difficult position.

"We have had no concrete offers, but we are going to try and have contingency plans in place so that if we do lose X, then Y comes in.

"We are going to have to give ourselves some sort of chance, so that [a deadline-day exit like Andy Carroll's to Liverpool in January, which left Newcastle with no time to buy a replacement] does not happen again.

"We not want to be in the same position as last time."

Source: Daily Mirror

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