Manchester United may decide to end their interest in Sean Longstaff after being left shocked by Newcastle United’s £50 million valuation of the midfielder.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Manchester United have been left stunned by Newcastle United’s £50 million transfer fee demand for youngster Sean Longstaff, which could force them to call off their pursuit of the midfielder.
Manchester United are in the market for a new midfielder, having lost Ander Herrera this summer on a free transfer and facing the prospect of seeing Paul Pogba also leave. A number of midfielders have been linked with a switch to Old Trafford to plug the hole in the middle of the park and Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff has emerged as one of the Red Devils’ targets.
Longstaff is a product of the Newcastle United academy and broke through the senior team in December last year, after having had two successful loan stints at Kilmarnock and Blackpool. The 21-year-old made a solid impression in his debut campaign for the Magpies, but saw his season end prematurely owing to a knee injury.
Longstaff ended the 2018-19 season with just 13 appearances to his name, in which he found the back of the net on two occasions, while setting up one goal as well. Despite his restricted game time, Manchester United were left impressed by the Englishman’s abilities.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has turned his focus towards recruiting young, homegrown talents with potential this summer, as seen by the signings of Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. And Longstaff fits into that profile perfectly, which had prompted the 20-time English champions to prepare an opening bid for the midfielder.
However, they have been left stunned by Newcastle United’s valuation of their academy product. The Tyneside outfit have slapped an outrageous £50 million price tag on Longstaff, having seen Manchester United shell out a similar fee to sign Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace this summer.
Manchester United’s chief executive Ed Woodward held negotiations with Newcastle United MD Lee Charnley this past Saturday when he was quoted the astronomical fee as per the report. However, the Mancunians are unwilling to offer more than £20 million for Longstaff and could now pull out of the deal, given the Magpies’ exorbitant demands.
Longstaff is contracted with Newcastle United till 2022, having signed a new deal in December last year. The midfielder had claimed he was not thinking of an exit from the club this summer, but following the exit of Rafael Benitez, he has set his sights on a transfer to Manchester United as per the report.
But, with Newcastle United demanding as much as £50 million for a player who has just 13 first-team appearances till date could lead to Manchester United putting an end to their interest in Longstaff. It remains to be seen if the Red Devils continue with their interest in the youngster or turn their attention elsewhere, with Southampton’s Mario Lemina also a target.
