EDDIE Mitchell confessed he could have to cash in on unsettled Cherries keeper Shwan Jalal – or risk losing him for nothing next summer.

Jalal has just a year left to run on his current Seward Stadium deal and told the Echo earlier this week that talks over an extended stay had stalled.

The Baghdad-born stopper’s impressive form during Cherries’ run to the League One play-offs was understood to have alerted Championship outfit Watford, but Mitchell confirmed he had had no interest for the former Peterborough man.

The Cherries chairman also admitted talks with the 27-year-old were unlikely to re-open, insisting Jalal had priced himself out of a new deal.

Mitchell told the Echo: “I’ve been an admirer of Jal for a long time and I rate him very, very highly.

“It’s been a great disappointment that we couldn’t reach an agreement on a new contract but I won’t jeopardise the club’s future by breaking the wage limit we have.

“We tried to tempt him financially to re-sign so he would have two years with us, but I don’t think the talks will re-open at this moment in time.

“We can’t afford what it would have needed to tempt him to stay.”

Jalal missed just four games as Cherries took League One by storm last season and has been a key member of the squad since being signed by Kevin Bond in August 2008.

Mitchell added: “He has given himself the option to pick up a deal somewhere else but we did our best. We met him twice and spoke to him and his agent and he conducted himself fantastically.

“He is here for next season at the moment and he’ll fight for his place alongside Darryl Flahavan.

“But we have to be prepared for when he moves on and it puts us in a situation where we have to decide whether to offer him to other clubs or keep him and let him go for nothing next summer.

“It’s sad, but we have to talk about what to do within the club and decide what the best thing to do will be.”