Newcastle Transfer News: Papiss Cisse Insists He Will "Work Hard" To Remain On Tyneside And Keep The No 9 Shirt

Will the Senegalese striker still be on Tyneside come the start of next season?

by Chris Waugh
Newcastle United are looking to offload forward Papiss Cisse for £10 million this summer - although the forward insists he sees his future firmly on Tyneside and is "proud" to be the Magpies' No 9. With Sky Sports claiming Newcastle want at least £10 million for the 30-year-old forward, that would give Steve McClaren significant funds to reinvest in his squad. However, Cisse still has 18 months remaining on his Magpies contract and he has revealed that he intends to fight for his place under McClaren.
Despite being injured for a large portion of the 2014-15 campaign, Cisse was Newcastle€™s top scorer last season as he netted an impressive 11 goals in just 22 Premier League appearances - but the Magpies are now willing to part company with the Senegalese forward. When asked about his future, Cisse told Sky Sports News:
"I'm here, I'm (at) Newcastle, and I have one-and-a-half (years left on my) contract. "I am a Newcastle striker - I just think about my holiday and when I go back to Newcastle I will try to work hard and try to make the team."
Yet Newcastle are drawing up a final list of striking transfer targets for this summer - with Queens Park Rangers€™ Charlie Austin, West Bromwich Albion€™s Saido Berahino, West Ham United€™s Diafra Sakho, Wolfsburg€™s Bas Dost and Watford€™s Troy Deeney all believed to be seen as potential recruits. https://twitter.com/CissePapiss/status/613327739316252672 And, with Austin likely to be offered the iconic black-and-white No 9 shirt in a bid to entice him to the North East, Cisse tweeted on Tuesday:
"Im proud to be wearing the number 9 shirt and im looking forward to this season!"
With new head coach McClaren given the freedom to reshape his squad this summer, it is likely that Cisse will be moved on - with the Daily Mail claiming the club have already turned down offers for the striker. Since he arrived from SC Freiburg for £9.3 million in January 2012, Cisse€™s form has been patchy - with some exceptional highs and some dreadful lows. An incredible 13 goals came in his first 14 Premier League games, but just 17 strikes arrived in the following two campaigns. In 109 appearances in all for Newcastle, Cisse has scored 41 times. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.
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NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.