ALAN Pardew has admitted Newcastle United could look to sell Danny Simpson if the full-back does not agree a new contract soon.

Simpson is due to enter the final 18 months of his current deal at the turn of the year, but talks over a new agreement have stalled after dragging on for a number of months.

There is understood to be a significant difference between the sum that has been offered by Newcastle officials and the wages being demanded by the former Manchester United trainee and his representatives.

The situation bears stark similarities to the wrangles that eventually led to Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton leaving Tyneside, and given their intransigence in previous talks with players, it is unlikely that Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias will be prepared to give too much ground.

They will be equally reluctant to allow Simpson to enter the final year of his contract without a new deal in place, though, so if the defender does not change his stance in the remainder of the season, he will almost certainly be offered to potential suitors next summer.

If we cant reach an agreement, hell have to move on - its as simple as that, said Pardew, who already has a ready-made replacement for Simpson in the guise of Italy Under-21 international Davide Santon. The situation is as dangerous for Danny as it is for us. He needs to secure his future with us because he has not got long left on his contract. So that is ongoing.

Danny is a player who has broken into the team within the last 18 months and established himself as a first-team player. Hes now in a situation where I guess he feels he should be rewarded with a new contract, and I agree with that.

Really, all were talking about is the figures, but that is very, very difficult at this level. Were trying to say we think were here, and he probably thinks we should be somewhere else.

Simpson is not the only player currently involved in contractual discussions, as Fabricio Coloccini, who is also due to become a free agent in the summer of 2013, is also embroiled in ongoing talks.

The Magpies skipper, whose 80,000-a-week wages are proving a considerable stumbling block, has been Newcastles player of the season so far, and there is clearly a massive desire to keep him at St James Park.

He has slipped seamlessly into his role as captain, and Pardew admits he has been delighted with the Argentinians response since he was appointed as Nolans successor in the summer.

Hes the perfect character to be captain of this club and I hope we get his new contract signed and know hell still be captain for the next three or four years, said the Newcastle boss.I admire him as much as a person as a player, and theres not many players I would say that about. Hes been really fantastic, and hes very influential in everything I want to do.

He represents everything I like in a footballer. He was the number one choice for the captaincy, in fact there wasnt really a number two in the running. He was always going to be the captain unless he suffered an injury.

Coloccini will be skippering the side against Manchester United tomorrow, but Pardew has a number of selection dilemmas to wrestle with ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.

Gabriel Obertan is set to return from injury to replace Sammy Ameobi on the right of midfield, but Pardew is fearful of rushing Cheik Tiote and Leon Best back into action too quickly following their lengthy spells on the sidelines.

Both players have trained this week, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that either will start as Newcastle look to avoid back-to-back defeats in Manchester.

Pardew must also decide whether to retain Ryan Taylor despite his five-minute horror show in which he conceded a penalty and a goal to Micah Richards during last weekends 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Ryan has been fine, said Pardew. If I look at him during the period hes been with us, hes done terrific. Hes been an absolute hero this season.

The fact that the ball hit him on the arm and he made a small error in the box hasnt affected him. Its had no impact on him at all, and if hes being over-critical, I havent sensed it.

Nevertheless, Santon was withdrawn towards the end of Tuesdays reserves game with Everton and is pressing for an opportunity in the first team.

I think Davides seen enough of the way we defend now, said Pardew. His English still needs to improve for him to really integrate, but theres work to be done on him that only games will really give him now. Hes ready, but whether he plays or not is another question.