Newcastle United man's 'disaster' transfer amid Preston North End and Birmingham City links

Preston North End are being linked with Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden - who has just returned from a frustrating loan spell with Standard Liege.

The 28-year-old's time with the Belgian top flight side came to an end on January 11th. Hayden made 10 appearances for the club, having preferred a move overseas in the summer - instead of to the Championship. The player was linked with newly-promoted Luton Town, along with second tier sides but opted to sign for Les Rouches.

PNE were said to be 'in talks' with Hayden over a loan switch this week, while Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday have also been credited with interest. Magpies boss Eddie Howe has said he expects Hayden to go out on loan, while Plymouth Argyle chief Ian Foster has shut down any talk of a possible move to Home Park.

Amid all the speculation, though, Hayden has gone public with criticism of Standard Liege's late payment of wages. The ex-Norwich, Hull City and Arsenal man has suggested he will sue the club, in order to receive the money he is owed.

"The main reason why I left is that the club does not pay salaries on time and does not pay them," Hayden said, as quoted by Sacha Tavolieri on 'X'. "I will now initiate legal proceedings against the club, to obtain the wages that Standard Liege owes me. For example, I received my November salary, on December 28th. They also didn’t pay the players’ bonuses and now the December salaries haven’t been paid and we’re almost at the end of January. It’s a real disaster."

On Hayden, Standard Liege’s CEO Pierre Lochtt told La Dernière Heure: "We wanted a player who brought an immediate superior quality to the team. Isaac had a lot of experience in the Premier League. He’s a true number six, capable of settling the game, a stable element. But, in the image of the team, he had some good games but was then too inconsistent.”