Sissoko happy to remain at Newcastle

The player's agent sparked speculation of a potential move for the midfielder when he was quoted as saying Sissoko was "open to proposals", but the 24-year-old has moved to calm Newcastle fans' fears.

Sissoko was one of Newcastle's most consistent performers in 2013-14 as the club's season tailed off dramatically following a superb start, but he has no plans to leave St James' Park.

"I'm happy here and happy to play for Newcastle," he told the Sunderland Echo. "Every week, I try to give my best performance.

"I will go to the World Cup and then come back ready for the new season."

And Sissoko is targeting a return to European football for Alan Pardew's men after finishing 10th in the Premier League this time around.

"It's not very good, but if you finish in the top 10 it's still a good effort, as last year we finished 16th," he added.

"It's better, and maybe next year we can finish in the top seven.

"In England, there's a lot of good teams. You have got Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, so it's hard to finish in the top four or five, but we need to try. Next year we have to try to play better."