Joey Barton delivers update on potential Bristol Rovers contract extension for Scott Sinclair | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton says the club have made a final offer of a new contract to Scott Sinclair.

The winger, who was on the books of the Gas as a youngster, returned to the club on a short-term deal back in October, having been released by Preston at the end of last season.

Since then, the 33-year-old has scored four goals and provided one assist in 15 appearances in all competitions for the club, helping them to eighth place in the current League One standings.

However, Sinclair’s contract at The Memorial Stadium, is now set to expire in less than two week’s time.

But with the winger having made a big impact for the club, Barton is keen to keep him around, and is seemingly confident he may be able to do that, even if there is nothing more they can offer him.

Providing an update on negotiations over a new deal for Sinclair, the Bristol Rovers boss told Bristol Live: “We’re grafting away. We’ve made a bit of progress on it today and the ball is in Scotty’s court. We’ve given him a final offer and we hope that’s enough.

“If it’s not, then we’ll be going in a different direction, but I need to get cracking here. I need to secure the assets I’ve got.

“I think most of them are tied down now with Scotty being the last one, and then it will be flipping a few out.”

The Verdict

The fact that Barton appears to have some confidence about this deal now should be encouraging for those of a Bristol Rovers persuasion.

Sinclair has proven to be a major asset since his arrival at The Memorial Stadium, showing he still has more then enough quality to have a big impact on matches at this level.

With that in mind, it would feel like a big coup for Bristol Rovers if they were to extend his deal, and one that ought to give them more hope of forcing their way into the play-off places.

It could also be argued that given they are a club he has strong links with, and who were the ones who gave him an opprtunity to get back in the game after several months out this season, Sinclair could be tempted to stay at the Memorial Stadium, providing the offer is an appropriate one.