Mort Keen to Ward Off Rivals By Extending Owen's Contract

Chris Mort has confirmed that Newcastle United hope to persuade Michael Owen to sign a contract extension. The club's chairman intends to meet the England striker's advisers in the next few weeks and attempt to renew a deal currently scheduled to expire in June of next year.

Owen has scored six goals in six games for Newcastle since being relocated to a deep-lying attacking role and Mort is keen to ward off rivals, not to mention prevent the possibility of the forward departing on a Bosman in 14 months.

"As we have said all along, we are obviously keen for Michael to stay, he is a fabulous player," said Mort, who watched Owen score twice in Sunday's derby win at home to Sunderland. "Now we are looking forward to sitting down with his team and working out an agreement for him to stay at Newcastle United."

Owen is reported to earn around £120,000 a week at St James' Park and such expensive remuneration may deter potential suitors. Until Kevin Keegan's arrival as Newcastle's manager in January Owen had been regarded with a degree of suspicion by many of the club's fans who, due to his chronic bad luck with a series of serious injuries, had rarely seen the 28-year-old - who cost £17m when he signed from Real Madrid in August 2005 - in action wearing black and white stripes.

The former Liverpool forward's loyalty to Newcastle was, perhaps harshly, called into question but since assuming the captaincy in January Owen has been Keegan's best player and Steve Harper, Newcastle's goalkeeper, yesterday said the club would be mad to let him go.

"We must keep hold of Michael and I'm sure we will," said Harper. "He's proved on the pitch and away from it that he's a leader. His commitment here has never been in doubt but now he's been given an injury-free run he's proved what an asset and class act he really is.

"He's leading by example, scoring goals and dictating play in a new position for him but he's really taken to it. Hopefully he can lead this club for the foreseeable future. The aim here is to win a trophy. That's what Kevin wants to do, that's what Michael wants to do, that's what we all want to do."

There are fears that Sunderland's Phil Bardsley and Jonny Evans may miss the remainder of the season with a knee and hamstring injury respectively.

Reading's manager, Steve Coppell, has confirmed the club have recalled the striker Leroy Lita from his loan spell with Charlton Athletic. The 23-year-old joined Charlton in March on an initial one-month loan deal that was later extended until the end of the season. Lita scored three goals in eight appearances for Charlton in the Championship.