JON WALTERS’ CLUB future has been cast into further doubt with Stoke City manager Mark Hughes admitting the Ireland international could be on his way out of the Britannia Stadium.
Walters is in the final year of his current contract at the Potteries and has been locked in discussions with club officials for the last couple of months.
It’s believed Walters wants at least a two-year deal but Stoke are only prepared to offer him a further one-year contract.
The 31-year-old, who has been with Stoke since August 2010, was close to joining Norwich City towards the end of the summer transfer window but the Potters rejected a £1.5 million bid for the forward.
Instead, he remained at Stoke and has once again highlighted his enduring worth with a productive start to the season – he has scored four times this term, including a stunning strike against Chelsea on Tuesday.
But speaking to the media ahead of Stoke’s trip to Newcastle on Saturday, Hughes revealed an agreement between both parties shows no sign of arriving and Walters could leave on a free transfer in the summer.
“There’s danger that we could lose Jon, but that isn’t what I want and it isn’t what he wants,” Hughes said.
“We’d love to come to a satisfactory conclusion. I’m hopeful that we can sit down and sort it out.”
“There is scope to return to the table — I’d like to think so anyway.
“The issue is the length of contract — it is not about our feelings about Jon’s ability. He is playing exceptionally well.“I would like to think we can come to some decision positively not only for ourselves but for Jon himself, because I think he wants security and to be settled in his work.
“I’m hopeful we will get to a point where we can sit down again and find some common ground.”
Last month, chief executive Tony Scholes said he was hopeful of a ‘compromise’ being reached but hinted that the club aren’t prepared to bow to the player’s demands.
Walters has featured in six of Stoke’s ten Premier League fixtures this campaign and has been one of the stand-out performers for Hughes despite the arrival of Xherdan Shaqiri and return of Bojan.
The former Ipswich striker has also played an integral part in Ireland’s route to the Euro 2016 play-offs but will miss the first leg against Bosnia-Herzegovina through suspension.
