No new Magpies deal for Barton

Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton will not be offered a new contract by the Premier League club when it expires next year, his agent revealed Wednesday. Barton has been one of the stars of the Magpies' successful campaign and his retention beyond the final year of his existing deal has been one of manager Alan Pardew's key priorities. But Barton's agent Willie McKay today told Sky Sport: "I had a meeting with Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias and club secretary Lee Charnley and they have indicated Joey will not be offered a new contract. "Joey will continue to be a Newcastle player next season and then he will leave on a free transfer at the end of his contract. "Joey would have loved to have extended his stay at Newcastle, but unfortunately it is not to be." Barton joined the Magpies from Manchester City for £5.8million during the summer of 2007 as then manager Sam Allardyce took a gamble on him following an infamous training ground bust-up with Ousmane Dabo. But injuries and a spell behind bars saw his stock fall even lower as a series of off-field problems left him at a crossroads. Barton appeared to have confronted his demons last season, during which the fans on Tyneside finally saw him back at his best.