Newcastle’s policy on older players means Ritchie won’t get a new contract

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Matt Ritchie is moving closer to leaving Newcastle United this summer with the club unwilling to renew his contract, according to the Sun.

They report that 29-year-old Ritchie will not be offered an extension on his current deal because of the club’s policy over older players.

Ritchie has reportedly held talks with Rafa Benitez lately but in the aftermath, he was given the green light to look for another club.

The Daily Mail report that Ritchie cost Newcastle £12m, back in 2016, and he has filled in impressively as a left wing-back for much of the season, despite being a creative midfielder by trade.

Newcastle need players like Ritchie who will work extremely hard for the cause and have experience of operating in the top flight.

From Mike Ashley’s point of view, those players don’t have a high market value but Premier League squads cannot be designed with finances as the priority over footballing ability.

Although the report indicates that Benitez isn’t exactly falling over himself to convince Ritchie to stay.

That could just be because he has accepted the club’s policy on older players but it may also indicates that Ritchie’s style is perhaps at odds with what he wants to do.