The player will return to Tyneside next week to talk to Alan Pardew and Mike Ashley about his future.
The Journal: "Ba has been in the Middle East on a religious pilgrimage but will return to the UK this week and has every intention of reporting for the start of pre-season on July 5.
"Privately, he is understood to favour signing a new long-term deal with Newcastle, but is aware that United are unlikely to make him an offer this summer.
"The club tend to look at re-negotiating contracts in their second year, believing that doing so after 12 months is bad practice.
"The Journal understands that some agents claiming to represent the striker have not even been given a mandate to act on his behalf – hence the confusion surrounding the player.
"There are also lingering concerns over his knee problem, despite a full season in which he didn’t miss a single game for Newcastle."
Ba will start Ramadan on July 19th for a month - ending on August 18th.
Source: FOOTYMAD
