... the Frenchman is understood to be ready to knock back any deal UNTIL he is certain Newcastle are in Europe!
Ben Arfa’s current deal is due to expire at the end of next season, and Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is keen to ensure the French winger is not allowed to enter the final year of his contract with his long-term future still uncertain.
But Pardew's position is very much under threat, and Ben Arfa is determined he will be playing in European football next season - with or without Newcastle United.
At one stage, there were plans to initiate contract talks during the summer break, but the player was waiting for an offer from a Champions League side - which didn't happen.
Liverpool and Paris St Germain have been strongly linked with Ben Arfa in the past, and while neither club made a formal approach before the transfer window closed at the start of the month, there is an acceptance that the Magpies will become increasingly vulnerable to an approach as the end of the 26-year-old’s contract draws near.
This is a massive year for Ben Arfa, who still has hopes of making the French team for the World Cup.
Apparently "Pardew, Ashley and director of football, Joe Kinnear, are keen to tie the winger to the same kind of long-term deal that was successfully negotiated with Fabricio Coloccini and Tim Krul".