Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez seems hopeful of retaining the services of wantaway midfielder Moussa Sissoko despite being wary of the fact that he will be a subject of more successful clubs’ interest, according to George Bellshaw of Metro.

Dropping to the Championship, Newcastle are in a position where they will be helpless to lose their prized assets, but their Spanish manager has voiced his admiration for the Frenchman in a desperate attempt to keep him at St James’ Park.

“Our idea is to keep him, if it’s possible, but we know how football is now and the market and agents,” said the former Real Madrid manager. “I rate Moussa very highly. He was very good for us at the end of the season and in the Euros. We know what is going on. A lot of people will be asking for him, but at the moment, we will see if he can stay and improve the team.”

The 26-year-old had an outstanding European Championship campaign with France and even started the finals against Portugal. In the wake of an inconsistent 2015/16 season with the Magpies, his performances in France were seen as factors that would raise his transfer value. Newcastle promptly responded by slapping a £35m price tag on him. His agent rubbished the club’s move, claiming the club had previously pledged to let him go in the event of an offer between £15.2m and £21.1m coming in.

Whether Arsene Wenger will be willing to match Newcastle’s valuation is uncertain. However, a move for the experienced, talented, and versatile midfielder is on the cards, with many young midfielders, who were expected to fight for their spot, in Jon Toral, Isaac Hayden, and Daniel Crowley all following in the footsteps of Mathieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky, and Mikel Arteta out of the club. Sissoko has also expressed his desire to become an Arsenal player more than once; earlier this month, he stated that he loved the prospect of moving to Emirates Stadium.