GILLINGHAM midfielder Simon Osborn looks to be heading out of Priestfield after chairman Paul Scally admitted that the two parties had reached stalemate in new contract negotiations.

The 31-year-old's existing contract expires at the end of the month and he now seems certain to follow defender Roland Edge out of the club after he refused new terms last month.

Both player-manager Andy Hessenthaler and right-hand man Wayne Jones have made no secret of their determination to keep Osborn, regarded as an essential cog in the midfield. They will be hugely disappointed if he moves on.

Mr Scally said: "The problem is that Simon's agent is like a number of agents who has his head in the sand and believes that the world of football is exactly the same this year as it was last year and the year before. I've offered him a very good basic with an appearance related package but the agent doesn't feel that's the right way to go.

"He wants double what we're prepared to offer which is something I'm not prepared to consider. If Simon's agent comes back with something along the lines that we can accept then we'll go with that.

"If not we'll look elsewhere for another midfielder."