Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce has admitted he is
powerless to stop Michael Owen from leaving the
club.
Allardyce confirmed Owen has a release clause in his contract
allowing him to leave if another club reaches that release
fee.
Owen's future at St James' Park has been the subject of some
conjecture for some time now with Freddy Shepherd calling on the
player to make a public statement of his commitment.
The England international has been coy on his long-term future at
Newcastle with the player believed to be keen on a return to the
North West.
Allardyce, who has held talks with Owen over his future, accepts
the former Liverpool hit-man could move on in the summer.
"If Michael wants to leave, there's nothing I can do about it,
especially if another club triggers his release clause," Allardyce
told the News of the World.
"At the moment, we are benefiting from a release clause to get Joey
Barton.
"But we could also suffer because of Michael's clause."
Liverpool are thought to be monitoring Owen's situation with the
player widely believed to be keen on a return to Anfield.
Meanwhile, Newcastle are being credited with an interest in
Barcelona's Ludovic Giuly.
Giuly is expected to leave Barcelona at the end of the season after
being told he does not figure in their long-term plans.
A number of French clubs are believed to be chasing the winger, but
Giuly's commercial representative, Sebastien Riera, says Newcastle
are interested in the French international.
"Ludo is aware of Newcastle's interest," Riera told the Sunday
Sun.
Should The Magpies fail in their attempts to sign Giuly they could
turn their attentions to Bolton's El Hadji Diouf.
