Double money for Demba?

Newcastle United are willing to double Demba Ba's wages in an effort to ward off interest in the striker, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.

The Mirror claims that the Senegal international is on a £30,000 a week wage which which is roughly in the same ballpark as what a lot of journalists seem to believe he is on. Personally I've heard that Demba is on £35,000 a week basic with a bonus of around £20,000 for each first team appearance but then I guess none of us know for sure.

Newcastle are hoping that the guaranteed wage increase will tempt Ba to sign a new contract - a new contract which will have the much talked about release clause removed from his contract. It's the only way we're going to get to keep Ba in the long run so it needs doing in my view.

Strikers who can hit the back of the net regularly are rare and we have one of them in Demba. We picked him up for nothing and run the risk of losing him for next to nothing if this release clause is actually contained in his contract. Wouldn't it make sense for Ashley to protect his investment and prohibit himself and the club from losing out in the future by paying Ba a decent rate now? I think so...

Ba is happy on Tyneside and appears to be settled into life at Newcastle. He appears happy but let's not underestimate how much a whopping great payrise can sway your decision. I have no doubt that Ba could be just as happy somewhere else so the only way to stop the Senegal international from casting curious eyes elsewhere is to give him a wage that is comparable with what other clubs can offer.

I'm not talking Manchester City type wages when I say that, but there does need to be some room for manoeuvre in our wage budget if we are to keep hold of our better players long term. By giving Ba a payrise it also gives Ashley and Newcastle some cards to hold in the transfer market so it wouldn't be just a one way street.

Surely that appeals to Ashley and Co?