Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has hit out at the network of people surrounding Demba Ba with his future on Tyneside becoming the subject of frenzied speculation.
Representatives of the 27-year-old Senegal striker held talks with Chelsea on Sunday night, which were later described as unproductive, with the £7million release clause in his Magpies contract due to become active again on New Year's Day.
Pardew and his club can do little about the situation, but the manager is growing increasingly weary of it.
He said: "In some respects, I feel a little bit sorry for Demba as well because I think people who are representing him are not actually representing him.
"There are people out there who are saying this who are not actually involved or want to be involved, and that's the sort of world we are in.
"The contract is what it is, we are all aware of that, and for me as the manager I need it resolved as quickly as possible. That's the best situation for our fans and for the club."
Newcastle have spent recent months attempting to negotiate a new contract with Ba which would remove the clause and that remains on the table.
However, Pardew insisted it would not do so indefinitely.
He said: "The situation with that is that it's getting close to the point where we say 'no more', but the offer is still there."
Meanwhile, Pardew revealed the Magpies are yet to formally complete a deal for Lille full-back Mathieu Debuchy, but confirmed that Danny Simpson, the man he could replace, would be missing for several weeks after breaking a toe during Saturday's 7-3 defeat at Arsenal.
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