With uncertainty over his future at Newcastle Utd, Mo Diame has insisted that he would be more than open to staying on beyond this season.
The 31-year-old has been a key figure for Rafa Benitez’s side this season, making 28 Premier League appearances to keep them well clear of any threat of relegation.
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The Senegal international joined the club in 2016, making over 100 appearances in total as he initially helped them secure promotion back to the top flight from the Championship in his first season at St James’ Park.
However, as noted by The Chronicle, he will end the season at least one game short of making enough starts to automatically trigger a one-year contract extension, and with his current deal set to expire this summer, it has raised question marks over his future.
From Diame’s perspective though, it sounds as though he is under no doubt as to what he would prefer to see happen this summer, insisting that he would want to stay at Newcastle but the decision now lies in the hands of the club.
“To be honest I wish I could stay longer. It’s not finished yet. We will see,” he is quoted as saying by the Chronicle.
“If I am not here I will always watch and stay behind the team. I will always keep in touch with a lot of people here.”
Time will tell what the Newcastle hierarchy and Benitez decide, as they will want to push on next season and start to climb the table.
Whether or not they believe they can do that by keeping the same nucleus of players at the club remains to be seen, as potentially offloading a few individuals to help fund their own signings this summer could help Benitez add the quality needed to ensure they continue to move in the right direction.
