Moussa Sissoko is hoping for a quick exit from Newcastle despite the club placing a £35million price tag on his head.
The 26-year-old France midfielder has made no secret of his desire to leave Tyneside after three and a half years in the wake of relegation from the Barclays Premier League despite manager Rafael Benitez's aim to keep hold of him.
And after hearing of the Magpies' valuation, Sissoko told L'Equipe: "For me, it changes nothing. The interested clubs will know how to find common ground. I hope that it will be as early as possible."
The former Toulouse player has already been linked with a series of possible suitors with Arsenal, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus all reportedly monitoring his situation in recent weeks.
But if Sissoko is to leave St James' Park, he will not do so on the cheap with the club refusing to be drawn into a fire-sale of its biggest assets as Benitez prepares for life in the Sky Bet Championship.
In an ideal world, the Spaniard would want the man he appointed captain at the end of last season to be in his squad and playing the kind of football which marked him out as one of France's better performers as the host nation came up only just short at the Euro 2016 finals.
However, Benitez will be equally aware that a disgruntled senior player may be more trouble than he is worth and Newcastle will be keen to avoid a repeat of the situation which saw Yohan Cabaye go on strike in a bid to force a move in August 2013.
But if they ultimately decide to sell, they are adamant that they will do so only on their own terms, and their eye-watering valuation of the player is an illustration of that.
In truth, any potential buyer may not have to go quite that high, but the club has served warning to interested parties not to waste their time with bids which amount to a fraction of that price as they will simply not be countenanced.
Meanwhile, sources on Tyneside have played down suggestions Benitez could make a move for former England striker Peter Crouch as he re-shapes his squad.
Source: PA
