Now Owen hopes to agree a new contract before the end of the month as the club's captain targets a European place next season.Keegan Set For His Biggest Signing Of The Summer!
Now Owen hopes to agree a new contract before the end of the month as the club's captain targets a European place next season.Owen's goals at the end of last season helped spark a recovery under new manager Kevin Keegan which banished the threat of relegation and has fuelled the belief on Tyneside that the Magpies are on the rise again.
Owen and his representatives are set to meet chairman Chris Mort and head of recruitment Tony Jimenez in a fortnight's time.
Keegan insisted the signing of Owen on a long-term contract should be the board's main priority this summer.
An initial meeting took place last month and, although there has been plenty of speculation suggesting Owen will be asked to take a pay cut to stay at St James's Park, it is not clear whether that is the case.
The 28-year-old only has one year remaining on his existing deal and will be able to talk to rival clubs to negotiate a lucrative Bosman-style free transfer in January.
Ashley has been criticised for the delay in talks but, the club claims they have been forced to wait because Owen was expected to feature in England's summer friendlies.
Owen: "It's hard to set targets.
"If we set off with the same players that we've got now then we've got a good squad of players and I would probably say that we've got to aim for the Uefa Cup, the top eight, or the top six if we have a fantastic season.
"That's if we are stuck with the same players we've got now, but there's a lot of time before the first ball is kicked at the start of the season and there could be a lot of ins and outs in the meantime and I don't know what will happen.
"If we get more ins than outs, and they're quality signings as well, then you never know. We could push our targets a little bit higher."