Newcastle United have been thrown a fresh transfer blow after Moussa Sissoko admitted he would "love" to be managed by Jose Mourinho - and he has "heard" that Chelsea are tracking him. The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in recent transfer windows but he appears to have effectively issued a "come-and-get-me" plea to Mourinho and Chelsea. The Magpies are determined to hold on to their star midfielder - who scored the all-important first goal in their final-day Premier League victory over West Ham United with a bullet header - and build their team around him. With Newcastle hoping to convince Manchester Citys Elite Development coach Patrick Vieira to take up the hotseat at St James Park, the clubs hierarchy realise the former Arsenal midfielder would want Sissoko as his focal midfielder. Yet, although Sissoko has previously insisted he wants to remain on Tyneside and help Newcastle move up the table, his latest interview casts doubt on his Magpies future. Speaking to French media outlet RMC, Sissoko said of Mourinho and Chelsea:
"Is he (Mourinho) following my progress? According to what I am hearing, yes. "He is one of the best managers in the world. He has won so many titles - any player would love to be coached by this man. "For the moment, I am coached by other people (John Carver). If one day I have the chance to work under his guidance (then) I would be very happy."
Even if Vieira rejects the opportunity to move to the North East, Newcastle believe they can get more out of Sissoko if he is utilised in his favoured position in the centre of midfield - but only if he is committed to remaining on Tyneside Sissoko has been deployed in a variety of roles since arriving at St James Park from Toulouse in January 2013, but he has played his best football when he has been allowed the freedom to advance with the ball through the middle of the pitch. To date he has scored 11 goals in 94 Newcastle appearances, but if better players are brought in to play alongside Sissoko then he could still flourish on Tyneside. Interestingly, speaking after Newcastle retained their Premier League status for another season, Sissoko did not deny he wants to play for a "big club" one day, but pledged his future to the Magpies. He said:
"I want to play for the biggest clubs but I feel good at Newcastle. I still have a four-year contract and, yes, I want to stay in Newcastle - I can confirm that. "There's everything there (at Newcastle) to be successful and I hope the president (Mike Ashley) will recruit the players so that we can be competitive next season. "I don't want to leave the Premier League as it is the one that suits me the best. In the last transfer window I learned like you did - on TV - that PSG were interested in me, but nobody came to see either me or my agent."
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