Martin Dubravka has already said some of his farewells to Newcastle United with the original plan for the keeper to play his final match last night at the Emirates Stadium.

But with Nick Pope still not fully fit after his knee injury, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe does not want to rush the ex-Burnley man back from his lay off. Howe made it clear last night that rather than losing Dubravka he would prefer to simply extend his existing deal.

The Magpies asked Dubravka to stay at Newcastle and delay his move to Saudi Pro League side while Pope's injury clears up. However, the counter argument from Dubravka's agent was that such a move would cost him part of a lucrative deal with Al-Shabab and the only way to compensate that was to extend the contract which ends in June.

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Dubravka will be 36 later this month and is content with life on Tyneside. He has a young family and loves life in Newcastle but there has been no offer of a new deal on the table yet.

That is what Howe will speak to sporting director Paul Mitchell and his board about today. Although, only last May, Howe wanted to extend deals for Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie but was told that would not be financially viable by his board.

This feels different but with Greece number 1 Odysseas Vlachodimos on the books along with John Ruddy, who earns £8,000 per week to be a back-up, there could be an argument back to Howe that he is well stocked with keepers. But Dubravka is in the form of his life at the moment and has been a key part of Newcastle's seven-game winning streak with five clean sheets in recent weeks, the latest a stunning shutout at the Emirates!

Dubravka was in tears as he left the field at Arsenal last night after taking an extra moment to absorb the love of the fans for what he felt was one last time. Dubravka said last week: "Nobody has spoken to me about a contract extension yet, so I feel my phase is slowly coming to an end. I'm going to take it a bit more emotionally because seven years at one club is a long time."

Howe was asked last night about the situation by Chronicle Live and responded: "He is playing very well at the moment and certainly from my side I would not want to lose him at all. My wish is to give him a new contract."

However, as Howe alluded to, the club must way up business logic and football logic. A cash fee for Dubravka would go a long way to easing PSR woes but with the star in red hot form, it makes no sense whatsoever on the field.

Not least with a Carabao Cup final potentially on the horizon and Newcastle just a clean sheet away from Wembley.