MOUSSA SISSOKO has confirmed his desire to leave Newcastle United this summer - and claimed the club's £35m asking price will not prevent him from leaving St James' Park.
Sissoko's future has been the subject of heated discussions in the last 48 hours, in the wake of his eye-catching display for France in the Euro 2016 final.
The midfielder spelled out his determination to leave Newcastle during the tournament, but Rafael Benitez remains keen to keep him on Tyneside and Magpies managing director Lee Charnley is prepared to back his manager.
Senior Newcastle sources were quoting a £35m asking price yesterday, and while Arsenal, Liverpool and Hamburg have all been linked with the 26-year-old, it is hard to imagine anyone being prepared to pay that price.
Nevertheless, Sissoko remains confident he will be able to engineer an exit from St James' Park, and will not have to spend next season in the Championship.
"Newcastle would ask for £35m? It could be £20m - for me it changes nothing," said Sissoko, in an interview with French newspaper L'Equipe.
"The interested clubs will know how to find common ground. I hope that it will be as early as possible."
Sissoko's representatives have also been discussing their client's future, and are clearly frustrated at Newcastle's stance in the last few days.
Speaking to Foot Mercato, a "representative of Sissoko", who is understood to work for agency Mondial Sport, suggested there had been a prior agreement that the former Toulouse midfielder could leave for around £20m this summer.
The representative is quoted as saying: "We do not understand (the £35m price). It was agreed that Moussa would stay for one more season with Newcastle to help the team - which he did the best he could.
"It has never been a question that there was a more elevated clause. The club has always said that they would let Moussa leave for between €18m to €25m maximum.
"We hope that Rafa Benitez and the president will be more reasonable about Moussa’s future.
"He has always been loyal, he has always respected the club, the fans. There are clubs that have come to us and the club.
"We are perfectly aware of the approaches. We want everything to go well."
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