Lee Martin has cast doubt on his Portman Road future by revealing that contract talks between the club and his agent have stalled.

It may not be significant but a number of Ipswich fans are concerned that Martin will go the way of Gareth McAuley, David Norris and Grant Leadbitter before him.

That trio were all allowed to move on when their deals expired, their respective moves to West Bromwich Albion, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough on free transfers meaning Town did not receive a fee for any of them.

Martin, 25, is in the fourth and final year of the contract he signed when then manager Roy Keane signed him from Manchester United in a £1.8 million deal in July 2009.

Current boss Paul Jewell has said he would like to retain Martin’s services - mentioning preliminary talks between owner Marcus Evans and the midfielder's agent in the summer - and the player has consistently reiterated his desire to remain at the club.

He said: “The last I heard was that my agent got an email saying ‘We’ll be in touch’ and that was in August. We haven’t heard anything yet.

“The ball is firmly in the club’s court and other than that, as far as I’m concerned, all I can do is keep working hard and coming in. All the time I’m here I will be fully committed.”

Martin, who has scored six times in his 79 appearances for Ipswich, admits he is frustrated by the lack of progress in securing his future in Suffolk.

But he added: “That’s life, isn’t it? That’s the life of a footballer and you just have to get on with it. Sometime you want to get your future sorted but you just have to keep getting on with it.

“I want to stay, of course I do, but I haven’t heard anything since August. The ball is firmly in their court regarding contract talks. It’s never nice, the not knowing, but I will be giving it my all for the club for the time that I am here.”

When asked if he would be prepared to follow in the footsteps of several team-mates, notably Carlos Edwards and Jason Scotland, and accept a wage cut to extend his time at Portman Road, he replied: “That’s what negotiations are for but they’ve never really got going.”

Photo: Action Images

Bergholtblue added 20:11 - Oct 2 Make him an offer and if he doesn't accept sell him in January. Don't let him go on a free!!
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