Newcastle United boss Joe Kinnear expects to know by Tuesday if Michael Owen will commit to a new contract.

Owen's future will be discussed on Tuesday. Kinnear said: "I get on great with Michael, but the climate has changed in the country.

"I'm desperate for him to sign a new contract, but I assume his agent will compare [the contract offer] and use it to benefit from other contracts he might be offered from whatever clubs.

We'll know where we stand on Tuesday. 'I need to sit down with Michael, explain why I want to keep him and what I think he can do for us. The last thing I want to do is lose him.

"I suppose people are waiting to grab him, so maybe we will lose him - but we can only lose him in the summer. It wouldn't make sense to let him go next month. If we got players to strengthen the side, why weaken the striking department?"