Can't see him coming back to us this season. Possibly next if we haven't already sold him, he's not inside, and if we got promoted. A lot of Ifs as Arry says!
From what I've read he would still only be worth £8mill in this transfer window, unlikely anyone would risk that with him still facing charges. It does now sound like at the end of the season the clause ends and we can keep or cash in. If he wants champions league football long term he won't renew his contract with us and we would lose him for nothing in another season or two with his value dropping the nearer the end of his contract got, as much as I would love us to keep him I would say cash in if we could get £15mill and invest in some new players.
He's on a season long loan to Newcastle, we cannot recall him to sell him since they paid a fee. I suppose the only way he could leave is if there was an agreed fee in the loan deal but even then, he'd have to want to sign for them and they'd have to risk a possible prison sentence.
If two teams are bidding for him you may get higher than 8m but agreed they'd be mad with the case hanging over him.
Lets face it we would be mad to try and keep hold of him. Whilst being joint third Premier League Top Scorer with Yaya Touré as things currently stand his stock is quite rightly high now. Yes we would all like to keep him but we are just too small a club and nowhere near being back in the big time yet in my opinion. If we could get anywhere near 16mil+ for him this would help balance the books a little with a couple of million spare for a young up and coming forward. As seid before it's probably the impending court date that's putting off clubs bidding right now. I think he will still be ours until the summer at least.
