Lee Bowyer has told Rangers target Joe Aribo he must stay with Charlton for his own good.
The Addicks boss is meeting with Aribo on Friday to discuss his future after sorting out his own, and will make a last-ditch plea to hold on to the sought-after midfielder.
Rangers jumped to the front of the queue for Aribo and it's expected he will be in Portugal with Steven Gerrard's squad at some point over the next week for pre-season.
But Bowyer will make one last attempt to convince him to stick around at The Valley and he believes it would be the best thing for his development.
The former Leeds star knows he won't be able to keep the 22-year-old for much longer.
But Bowyer told London News Online: “He has just come back from holiday and I spoke to him on Tuesday. He said: ‘Bow, I’m glad you’re sorted’.
“I’ve told him to come and see me, tell me his options and we can have a chat. He needs to stay and do a year in the Championship with us – so that he learns more. Then it might be a case of him leaving next season.
“It would be a huge thing if he stayed and kept learning because the big moves will come later on, if he does it right. Joe is a great lad, so we are going to have to wait and see what he says.
“There is respect there. He likes the club as well. It is the same with Pat Bauer – he didn’t want to leave. He said before: ‘I don’t want to leave, I love the lads and there are fantastic staff.’ He had been here for four years, but he had no choice really when sides are offering him double what he is on here. That is a difficult thing to turn down, he has got a young family and is just married.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t compete to keep him here, as much as we tried. We just couldn’t match that.”
