Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has conceded Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer must put his own interests first when deciding what to do at the end of his contract with the Premier League club.
Southgate confirmed Schwarzer, who will be a free agent in June, had been approached by a number of overseas clubs.
But the manager stood firm on his decision not to try and seal a deal with the 35-year-old before the European summer.
“With him being in the last six months of his contract, clubs have approached him from abroad,” Southgate told the Daily Mail.
“I expected that to happen and I have no issue with that at all.
“Mark has to do what is right for him.”
Southgate defended his decision not to enter into contract negotiations before the end of the season.
“I spoke to Mark Schwarzer at the beginning of the season when we offered him a one-year extension but he didn’t want to do that,” Southgate said.
“Mark wants to play at the next World Cup, which is two years away. That’s very much in his thinking and once you get past January he can speak to anyone across Europe. The goalposts move.
“I haven’t wanted to trouble anyone with talk about new contracts. Negotiations are never straightforward and during a season can unsettle people.”
Schwarzer said this week he would love to finish his career in Germany after reports linked him with a possible move to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Scottish club Celtic have also been mentioned among those looking to end Schwarzer’s 11-year stint at Boro.
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