Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew insists Joey Barton is a wanted man and will remain at the club next season.
Barton's contract expires at the end of next season but Pardew has made it clear that he wants to secure the midfielder to an extension.
Barton has been in solid form this season and was at the forefront of the Magpies' 4-1 win over Wolves on Saturday. Pardew says it is players like him that will continue to improve the quality of the club.
"It's important to keep your best players - and our best players showed up on Saturday, big style," Pardew told the Evening Chronicle.
"We had some outstanding performances within that team on Saturday - Joey Barton was one of them."
