Now it seems Souness is looking to a future without the England international, and Celtic's Bulgarian midfielder Stilian Petrov is being linked with a possible January transfer window switch to Newcastle United. The £3million-rated player only has 18 months left on his current deal at Parkhead and is being tipped to leave the club while they can still command a fee for his services.
However, Blackburn are also thought to want the player, but Newcastle must be in the driving seat if it comes to a head-to-head battle for the player.