The controversial midfielder has been told he can leave St James' Park on a free transfer after the breakdown in talks over a new deal. But the 28-year-old, who claimed he had been fined two weeks' wages on Tuesday, has suggested in another Twitter post he will not be pushed out against his will. "Just because ur [sic] told to jump, it does not necessarily mean u have to. I may choose to stand perfectly still. It's my right...just a thought," Barton, who has a year to run on his Toon contract, said. Barton then returned to the social networking site to quote George Washington, the first President of the United States, in another thinly-veiled attack on the Magpies. "Quote of the day: If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. George Washington," he tweeted. Barton revealed on Tuesday that he had been made to train alone. Despite his troubled past, which includes a 2008 prison sentence for actual bodily harm and affray, Barton is understood to be a wanted man and has been linked with Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton, the latter of which would mean a return to his Merseyside roots.
