Manchester United are reportedly planning to make an opening offer of around £15 million plus add-ons for Newcastle United starlet Sean Longstaff.
As per a report from Daily Mail, Manchester United are set to ramp up their pursuit of Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff, by launching an opening bid in excess of £15 million in the coming week.
Longstaff, 21, is a product of the Newcastle United academy, and is held in extremely high regard within the Tyneside outfit. The central midfielder made his first-team debut for the Magpies in December last year, after having had impressive loan stints at Blackpool and Kilmarnock.
Longstaff made a highly impressive start in his debut Premier League campaign, but saw his season being cut short due to a knee injury sustained in March. He made 13 appearances across all competitions for Newcastle, netting two goals and setting up one more in the process.
While Longstaff did not feature for a whole lot of matches, the midfielder seems to have done enough in his handful of appearances to catch the eyes of Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian has made the decision to move the club’s transfer strategy from signing big-name players to young homegrown talents who can develop at Old Trafford.
To that end, the Red Devils have already signed winger Daniel James from Swansea City and followed it up with the £50 million signing of right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace earlier last week. And, they are hoping to continue their recruitment streak by bringing in Longstaff next.
Manchester United need reinforcements without a question after a disappointing end to the 2018-19 campaign, which saw them finish sixth in the Premier League. The midfield department could definitely do with some bolstering after having seen Ander Herrera leave following the expiry of his contract.
This has left Manchester United with a wantaway Paul Pogba, an ageing Nemanja Matic along with the misfiring Fred and academy graduates Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira in the squad. A new midfielder should definitely be brought in and Longstaff, despite his lack of experience at the top level, could potentially be an exciting signing for the 20-time English champions.
The 21-year-old showed great industry and work-rate in his handful of appearances and has shown during his loan spells with Blackpool and Kilmarnock that he can come up with goals and assists from the middle of the park as well.
And given his age, Longstaff would be a long-term addition to the side and is bound to improve from hereon. Manchester United are thus, set to make an opening offer of around £15 million plus add-ons for the young midfielder this week, as per the report.
Longstaff is contracted with Newcastle United till the summer of 2022, but Manchester United are confident of getting the deal over the line. The Englishman recently insisted that he is not thinking about a transfer, but given the instability at the club after Rafael Benitez’s exit he might consider a switch to Old Trafford. and a £15 million deal could be a low-risk investment for United.
