Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has admitted Anthony Gordon could have played his final match for the club amid links with a summer move to Bayern Munich.
The 25-year-old England international has sat out Newcastle's last four games, the first two because of a hip flexor injury, with Your Site News reporting last week that Bayern have opened talks with the club over a potential transfer.
Newcastle will listen to offers for Gordon this summer as they expect he will want to explore his options. He has four years left on his current deal and is the club's top scorer this season with 17 goals in all competitions.
Asked if he was not using Gordon because he had one eye on the future, head coach Howe said on Friday: "When you get to this stage of the season, part of what we will be doing we'll be looking to next year, naturally, so yes.
"Anthony's just come back from injury. I think the team has played well in his absence and with a partial view to the future, yes."
Asked if there was any update on the speculation over a potential switch to the Allianz Arena, Howe added: "No, nothing, no updates from me. These are discussions that potentially might be happening, but not with me."
Newcastle and Bayern have a good relationship and the German champions have been keeping an eye on Gordon since the turn of the year.
Gordon's agents have also been pictured in Barcelona but there has been no direct contact between Newcastle and Barca as yet.
Howe has a big decision to make for Sunday's penultimate Premier League game of a disappointing campaign when relegation-threatened West Ham head for St James' Park on Sunday.
Brazil international Joelinton, who lined up in Gordon's left-sided attacking berth at Nottingham Forest last weekend, is nursing a thigh problem.
Asked if he would select Gordon if he felt the need to, Howe replied: "If it's the right thing for the team - and I put the team and the club above any individual - then I would play him, of course."
The game will be Kieran Trippier's last at St James' Park before the England full-back leaves the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Howe has demanded Newcastle's summer "has to be different" from their difficult transfer window 12 months ago as they look to bounce back from a likely bottom-half Premier League finish this season.
When asked if moving early was a priority in this summer's window, Howe said: "It has to be different. I was sat here this time last year saying the same thing - we needed to move quickly and be dynamic.
"The best players won't hang around too long that are available on the market. The speed the market moves, teams are very efficient and we have to be there as one of them."
This looks likely to be Newcastle's lowest-scoring full season under Howe's management, but he said the number of forwards in the squad means a summer signing in that area is not on his agenda - at least for the moment.
He said: "It's been a challenge for us, trying to find the right balance and a way to continually score goals and create the amount of chances we want to.
"We've still got work to do in that area, but Yoane Wissa has had fitness issues, Will Osula has really grown and blossomed as he's gone into the season, Anthony Gordon has played there, Nick Woltemade has played there and did well in the early season.
"The players are there, we just have to bring it all together and make it work."
