LEE Bowyer has today made an impassioned plea to Paul Jewell to sign him up for next season.

The veteran midfielder has revealed he would love to sign a new contract at Ipswich as he nears the end of his current one-year deal.

And he would be willing to consider a pay-cut if it meant he would form part of Jewell’s push for a top-six finish next season.

Bowyer said: “I would love to stay. I like the club and it is definitely moving in the right direction.

“If they were going to offer me another year, I would consider a pay cut. It is not about money, it is about playing football and that is what I want to do.

“At the end of the day, I have never really played the game for money. I could have gone to Liverpool years ago for stupid money but I chose to stay at Leeds. At my age, you just want to play. I am quite a normal person in that way and that will never change.”

As with Jason Scotland, Bowyer revealed he would have secured a new contract automatically had he started a certain undisclosed number of games – but it now seems likely to rest on any new offer on the table.

The 35-year-old could make only his second start of 2012 in tonight’s match against Burnley (7.45pm ko) with the midfielder joining left-back Aaron Cresswell in refusing to rule out a dramatic surge towards the play-offs.

But if that pipedream falls down, Bowyer has made it clear he still wants to remain part of Jewell’s squad as Town fans look to end their long wait for Premier League football.

He added: “From the start of the season to now, we have really worked hard for each other as a team. I have seen enough this season to know next year could be very different.”