NEWCASTLE United will not be panicked into a new round of contract talks with Demba Ba despite the striker's latest hints at a possible January departure from St James' Park.

Ba conducted an interview with a French television station at the weekend in which he described Arsenal, one of the clubs to have been extensively linked with him in recent weeks, as "a team who make you dream".

The comment has been interpreted as the latest attempt by the Senegal international and his assorted representatives to crank up the pressure on Newcastle officials ahead of the opening of the transfer window on January 1.

Ba's notorious £7.5m release clause becomes active at the start of the month and Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias has attempted to negotiate a new contract that would remove any prospect of the striker leaving Tyneside.

However, with Ba understood to be demanding around £80,000-a-week as part of any new agreement, the two parties remain a long way apart.

At this stage, no further talks are planned and while Ba's representatives are keen to return to the table, Llambias will not be initiating any new talks unless the striker's demands are significantly reduced.

That leaves Newcastle open to the possibility of their leading goalscorer moving elsewhere next month, but having resisted the financial demands of the likes of Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Jose Enrique in the past, Llambias and Mike Ashley will not be altering their hardline negotiating stance in order to appease Ba.

There has been no formal contact from other clubs about the **-year-old, and while Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Galatasaray have all been credited with an interest, there is scepticism in the corridors of power at St James' Park about just how serious those clubs actually are.

While the headline figure of Ba's release clause is set at £7.5m, the financial demands being made by the striker and his representatives effectively add another £5m to his price tag.

Throw in a five-year deal with wages of around £80,000-a-week, and you have an overall package worth in excess of £30m, a huge investment for even the richest of Premier League clubs.

Ba's previous injury record is another complicating factor for any potential suitor as the African failed a medical on his knee at Stoke City prior to joining West Ham United.

Newcastle were willing to take a calculated gamble on his fitness as they were securing him on a free transfer following West Ham's relegation, however it is far from clear whether other clubs would be willing to countenance such a risk.

Gauging what Ba wants is a difficult challenge given his tendency to provide contradictory comments depending on which country's journalists are interviewing him.

Earlier this season, he spoke of his love for Newcastle and his desire to remove any uncertainty over his future by removing the release clause from his contract.

This weekend's comments did not explicitly spell out a determination to leave Tyneside next month, but the inference behind the interview was clear.

"I have nothing to say about the speculation," said Ba. "The media know Arsenal need another striker and they know about my release clause. They need to make their own mind up about it. But Arsenal are one of these teams who make you dream."

While Llambias and Alan Pardew remain reasonably confident Ba will still be a Newcastle player come the end of January, alternative scenarios are being discussed.

Attacking targets are in place and Newcastle's scouting team have been running the rule over a number of players, the majority of which are based overseas.

Marseille's Loic Remy has been on the club's radar for a while now, while a renewed approach for former striker Andy Carroll is not out of the question.