Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden has insisted that he wants to feel valued and understand the direction of the club before signing a new contract with the Magpies.
The midfielder has two years left to run on his deal and he has been making noises about leaving Newcastle since last year when he made it clear that he wanted a transfer.
Things have changed over the last year and Hayden has largely been assimilated back into the squad and has been a key part of Newcastle’s team.
But there are concerns that he could still leave in the future and the midfielder is yet to indicate that he is ready to commit his long term future to Newcastle.
Hayden stressed that he will not sign a new contract with Newcastle for the sake of it and insisted that he is keen to feel valued at the club.
The midfielder also added that he wants Newcastle to move in the right direction and show some ambition that will allow him to play alongside better quality in the team.
“I am receptive to a new contract but, at the end of the day, I have to feel valued in the conversations that I’m having”, the defender told The Athletic when asked about a new contract.
“I want to commit because it’s the right thing to do, because the club is going in the right direction and because the club value me in a certain way.
“There has to be a continuous goal to improve.
"I always want to improve and better myself; I want to play with better players and, if that means more money is being pumped into this club, then that can only be a good thing.
“I’m happy to have conversations about a new contract, as I’ve said to the manager and the club, but I have to be valued in the right way."
Hayden insists that he will not simply put pen to paper for personal reasons, factoring in the footballing side.
“I’m never going to sign for a football club purely for personal reasons.
"That is of 95 percent importance to me — and the personal issues have changed now, which is great — but there’s still that five per cent footballing element as well.
“That’s what I’m looking for now.”
A product of the Arsenal academy, Hayden has been at Newcastle since 2016 and has 97 appearances under his belt.
