Newcastle United pondering over Christian Atsu's future at the club

Newcastle United have been left with a big decision to make as they mull over Christian Atsu's future at the club.

The Ghanaian winger's current loan deal does include a clause to allow the Magpies to make the deal permanent, but Rafael Benitez is still pondering on whether the player is good enough for the Premier League.

Throughout the season, Atsu has shared the left-winger role with French winger Yoan Gouffran  and have both had spells in and out of the side.

The 25-year old also missed just over a month of league football due to the Africa Nations Cup.

Atsu has made 30 appearances starts for Newcastle in the Championship, with 17 of those have come from the bench.

When asked about his future earlier in the season, Atsu said: 'Newcastle is a big club and I respect them. Right now I am concentrating on playing football. It is their decision at the end of the season."

The winger has just one year left on his current deal at Chelsea, where he is yet to make a first-team appearance, and the Blues will not stand in his way if he wants to leave Stamford Bridge.

There have been numerous reports that the clause in the loan deal includes a £6.5 million future fee, but the Magpies are likely to weigh up their options before making the deal permanent.

Atsu has had two other loan spells at Premier League clubs. The first coming at Everton where he made just five appearances in 2014/15 before joining Bournemouth   the following season, but returned to Chelsea without making a single appearance for the Cherries.

A possible return for Andros Townsend is likely to be reported again before the start of the 2017/18 season, given how desperate United were to make the deal happen in January.

And any move for the England international will likely spell the end for Atsu's career on Tyneside.