Michael Owen
Sunday May 11,2008

By John Richardson Michael Owen will run his contract down and leave on a free transfer rather than agree to take a pay cut as Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley insists on slashing the St James’ Park budget.

The England striker is on a staggering £115,000-a-week deal on Tyneside – one which brought Ashley out in a cold sweat whenhe bought the club last year.

In a totally frank meeting in London on Friday, Ashley told manager Kevin Keegan there would be no huge transfer budget this summer and that the present player wage bill was far too high.

Keegan has been urging Ashley and his cohorts, chairman Chris Mort, executive director Dennis Wise, newly appointed deputy chairman Derek Llambias and influential vice-president Tony Jimenez to sort out Owen’s future.

The Newcastle boss feels that Owen is integral to his plans and is believed to have been dismayed when Ashley drew up a reduced contract for the striker of around £80,000 a week – the new wage ceiling at the club.

Owen has only a year left on his contract and was uncertain about his future. His wife Louise and children have recently moved back to North Wales, leaving Owen by himself in the North East.

Now his mind has virtually been made up by Newcastle’s decision to cut his wages. He will turn down any reduced offer, leaving the Geordies to take a big loss on the player who cost them £16million from Real Madrid.

And another player Keegan is anxious to keep, England Under-21 defender Steven Taylor, is unlikely to receive the pay rise he wants and so could also leave St James’.

man utd want to buy him

they will get him on a free

United aim to land Toon striker for £7million
FERGIE LAUNCHES OWEN BID
By ANDY DUNN and DAVID HARRISON

MANCHESTER UNITED have taken the first steps in a sensational move to sign Michael Owen.

Informal contact has been made between United and Owen's representatives over a summer transfer.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes he can snap up the England striker for a cut-price £7million and is pushing for a speedy conclusion to the deal.


The United boss is convinced Owen can provide the missing ingredient to his strike force – a penalty box predator who can convert half chances.

Fergie confirmed this week that an Owen-type striker was high on his list of summer targets.

Louis Saha looks certain to be unloaded and Sir Alex said: "We will buy. Along with Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney, we may need experience in one forward position, somebody to take over from Ryan Giggs eventually."

Owen's recent goal-scoring form has convinced Fergie he can still cut it at the highest level. However, he would probably want to sign the striker on an incentive-based contract, dependent on games and goals.


United's interest comes at a time when Owen's future at Newcastle has been thrown into serious doubt.

Talks have yet to begin on a new contract and the indications are that he will be expected to take a £40,000-a-week cut on his £120,000-a-week earnings.

That will be rejected by Owen and he will either press for an immediate move or see out the last year of his deal and go for free in 2009.

Meanwhile, Fergie will pick up a £500,000 bonus if he leads United to the double and nd his weekly wages will rise from £70,000 to £90,000.