... the player insists the club can only sell him if he wants to go.
And as it happens, he says "I am happy at Newcastle. Why would I want to go?"
The reason to go could be that Alan Pardew has dumped him in the Youth Team, and the bad feeling continues.
When Pardew prefers Mehdi Abeid to the French midfielder, the warning signs are there:-
1) Pardew has lost the plot.
2) Ben Arfa won't get another game under the current boss.
And both are very worrying.
Pardew has again indicated that there would have to be one or more outgoings before a new arrival would be sanctioned by owner Mike Ashley.
Ben Arfa is available for transfer (but only if he wants to go), and Turkish club Besiktas are reportedly weighing up a move for him before Monday night’s transfer deadline.
Defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, wanted on loan by Olyqmpie Marseille, could also leave the club before the deadline.
Marseille have been monitoring the player all summer, and are keen to take him back to France on loan.
However, Yanga-Mbiwa’s wages have so far proved to be a barrier to any deal.