Ryan Shawcross' surprising reaction to speculation linking him with Newcastle

The Stoke City defender has been linked with a move to St James's Park in the summer.

And Shawcross – who has a year left on his deal at the Britannia Stadium – has reacted to talk of a move to Newcastle, who secured promotion to the Premier League last night.

Asked about the speculation, Shawcross told The Sentinel: "I'm not going to Newcastle – at the moment."

“It's paper talk. I've got a year left on my contract, and any time a player comes to the later stages of his contract, there's going to be talk.

“All I can do is concentrate on Stoke, and hopefully play well.

“I can only stay where my contract ties me to, and as long as there's a contract I will stay.

“I enjoy working under the manager and everything is good, but when you only have a year left you have to think about things, but there's been no talks so far and that's where we are at."