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49ers give Aiyuk permission to speak to other teams

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Brandon Aiyuk seems set to leave the San Francisco 49ers after he was granted permission to speak to other teams.

Contract talks between the 49ers and their top wide receiver have stalled in recent weeks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns have all been credited with an interest in Aiyuk, who had 1,342 receiving yards last season, a career-high.

And San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan has now confirmed Aiyuk has been allowed to open talks with other teams.

He said: "You're always disappointed when you can’t keep hold of all your players and it’s not going exactly right.

"I don't like losing anybody, so that’s why I am hoping it does work out here. But right now, we don't have that solved.

"You want everybody out there. You truly understand the business side of our league and what these guys do and what they have to go through in these deals.

"Whether it’s a hold-in or a holdout, this stuff is pretty common and you've just got to be patient with it as a coach."

Asked about signing a replacement if Aiyuk were to leave, Shanahan added: "Brandon's a great player, so it's really hard to be better when you lose a great player.