Papiss Cisse won't travel out with the Newcastle United squad for their pre-season friendly tour of Portugal after refusing to wear the club shirt sponsored by Wonga's logo, according to
BBC Sport. The Senegal striker and devout Muslim has told club officials that he won't wear clothing that would promote the controversial money-lending company for religious reasons. Cisse has offered to wear a charity logo or unbranded Newcastle shirt but that has not yet been an option explored by Newcastle. 28-year-old Cisse's future at St. James' Park now looks in major doubt with BBC sources describing the player's relationship with the club as "strained". The Newcastle striker and his representatives have held talks with his employer's officials and also the Professional Footballers' Association in recent days but no agreement or compromise has been reached. Magpies boss Alan Pardew knows the value of Cisse to his squad which looks light-weight up front with Yoan Gouffran, Shola Ameobi (whose future is also in doubt admist
talks of a summer move away), Hatem Ben Arfa (who in reality is more of a midfielder/winger) and youngster Adam Campbell being the only other options. Pardew had been looking to strengthen his forward line this summer and not weaken it, with confirmation last week from the Toon boss that
Loic Remy and Darren Bent were on his wishlist.