Sunderland striker Ross Stewart is locked in a contract stalemate with his club as boss Tony Mowbray slapped a £30m price tag on his star man in January.
The Scotland striker hasn't played since August with injury and isn't expected to return until after the World Cup, but his stock remains high after firing five goals in seven games to kick off the season in the English Championship and the club are keen to get him tied down to a new contract. The former Ross County target man is out of contract in the summer, but The Black Cats have the option to extend his contract by another year.
The frontman was subject to interest from Rangers and various English Premier League clubs in the summer, and Mowbray now admits that the club are no closer to extending his stay at Sunderland after months of talks. However, boss Mowbray has stated it would take a big offer to force the club to sell Stewart in the winter window.
Mowbray told the Newcastle Chronicle: "I don't know Ross' agent. I've never spoken to him, but I'm sure he thinks he has (PSG striker Kylian) Mbappe on his hands and whether we can get to a number that makes Ross feel warm in his stomach that we really love him and want him to stay and so he thinks that this is the platform for him to perform, if we can get there and he signs a new deal then fantastic.
"If we can't get there because it breaks all the structures and it's going to cause carnage behind the scenes because there are six other players who think 'hang on a minute, why is he earning that much and I'm earning this?' The club has to make those decisions and sometimes it can be really hard, but if you have to sell an asset then you have to sell an asset.
"That's why I believe you just have to have honesty, because the fans deserve honesty. The fans just want the best players but sometimes you can't have the best players if you haven't got the budget.
"Otherwise, three years down the line, your club is in financial difficulty, you're going into administration, you get docked 20 points, because you've broken the rules on finance trying to stretch yourself too far. I hope we can get something sorted out (with Stewart). I believe he has got an amazing vehicle to progress his career.
"A team that creates chances, lots of technical players that can put the ball in the box in the right areas. If he scores 20 or 25 goals, the phone will ring off the hook.
"All he has to do is knock on the door of the manager or the head coach and say 'I know so-and-so has been asking after me, and I'd like to go'. Then we say 'right, well as long as it's £30m then we can do it'."
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