Republic of Ireland winger Aiden McGeady has admitted Spartak Moscow may look to cash in on him this summer as he enters the final year of his contract in Russia.
The 27-year-old played in the 1-1 friendly draw with England at Wembley last night as speculation mounted over his future.
McGeady has been repeatedly linked with a move back from eastern Europe since sealing his €11 million switch from Celtic in August 2010, with several Premier League clubs having been credited with an interest in him.
The Glasgow-born midfielder insists he is happy in Moscow despite admitting some time ago he was unlikely to sign a contract extension, but he is aware the rumour mill will swing into action once again over the coming weeks.
McGeady said: “I have only got a year left on my contract, so it’s bound to happen. Maybe Spartak want to cash in on me now because if they don’t, there’s a possibility I could leave for nothing.
“But I am happy there just now. When I came back into the team in March when I got fit again, I was probably playing some of the best stuff I have played since I went there and I was happy with everything.
“I am easy. I have enjoyed it and we will see what happens.”
McGeady met up with the Ireland squad after playing what could prove to be his last game for Spartak last weekend in a 2-0 final-day victory over Alania Vladikavkaz.
However, his season looked to have ended significantly earlier after he was handed a six-match ban following his dismissal in a 2-1 defeat at Mordovia Saransk.
McGeady later admitted kicking a TV microphone as he headed for the dressing room, but denied making a gesture towards fans and was also accused of damaging a dressing room door.
However, his suspension, which would have seen him miss the start of the new campaign, was eventually reduced to two games.
He said: “It was blown out of proportion a little bit. It’s funny how the media always concentrate on the negative things. You don’t see that many positive things coming out of Moscow.
“All of a sudden, it was a six-game ban and I trashed the dressing room, that sort of stuff. I got a six-game ban for basically doing nothing.
“Obviously Spartak felt the same as me and it was reduced to two. When do you see a six-game ban reduced to two?
“I played the last game — obviously the authorities knew they had got it wrong. I am just glad it was quashed.
“I was hanging about for a few weeks just waiting to see when the appeal was going to be heard. Spartak seemed to rush it through and after two games, I was able to play in the last game of the season, which was great.”
McGeady still has work to do, however, before he can embark upon his summer break.
Next up for Giovanni Trapattoni’s side is Georgia in Dublin on Sunday, but the real business of the post-season action comes next Friday night at the Aviva Stadium when the Faroe Islands arrive for a World Cup qualifier.
Given the disappointing showing at last summer’s Euro 2012 finals and a 6-1 home drubbing by Germany earlier in the campaign, a battling draw with England in the first fixture between the two sides in 18 years proved an encouraging start to preparations.
McGeady said: “You can see (England) have got a lot of quality throughout the team, but I felt we gave a good account of ourselves. Everyone in the dressing room was pretty pleased.”
Skipper Robbie Keane is hoping the two countries can re-establish a healthy rivalry after renewing acquaintances, and McGeady is confident that would be of benefit to Ireland.
He said: “Yes, it would be good. It’s a tough game – England are a top team and it’s a great test for ourselves.
“A lot of the players play in the Premier League, but it’s totally different playing against the best players in the Premier League pretty much, and that’s what England have.”
