Sean Longstaff could leave Newcastle United this summer.placeholder image
Sean Longstaff could leave Newcastle United this summer. | Getty Images
Leeds United have made a formal approach to sign Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United this summer.
As reported last season, Leeds hold a long-standing interest in the 27-year-old midfielder, and Newcastle are open to selling at the right price.
Longstaff is out of contract at Newcastle next summer after the club triggered a one-year extension clause midway through the 2024/25 season. Since then, the Newcastle academy graduate failed to start a single Premier League match as he fell below the likes of Joe Willock and Lewis Miley in the midfield pecking order.
Leeds are looking to bolster their squad following promotion back to the Premier League.
Leeds United submit £12m Sean Longstaff bid
According to David Ornstein at The Athletic, Leeds have submitted a £10million bid for Longstaff plus £2million in add-ons. The report mentions it is Leeds’ third proposal for the Newcastle midfielder and personal terms are already in place.
The Magpies are yet to respond to the offer though Longstaff is reportedly keen on the move as he seeks regular first-team football and also a move that would benefit the club financially rather than one that would see him leave for nothing next summer.
As an academy graduate, Longstaff’s potential exit would be banked as pure profit from Newcastle’s perspective.
The Tyneside native has made 214 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 16 goals. Longstaff played a key role for Newcastle in the 2022/23 season to help the side secure a surprise fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
His brace in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Southampton also helped Newcastle reach their first major cup final in over 20 years. Arguably Longstaff’s best moment at Newcastle came the following season as he scored at the Gallowgate End in the historic 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Newcastle United Sean Longstaff contract extension explained
Longstaff’s contract at Newcastle was set to expire this summer before the club triggered a one-year extension in his deal that runs until June 2026.
The extension decision was financially motivated on Newcastle’s part as the club wanted to avoid losing a academy graduate for nothing.
While Newcastle never officially announced the extension in a statement, head coach Eddie Howe confirmed it during a press conference but admitted the player’s long-term future was unclear.
“Sean brings unique skills to the team,” Howe said. “I mean his tactical understanding and his delivery of what we've asked him to do historically has been at the very highest level. He's got an important goal in him.
“Sean has a contract for next year, so the control is very much in his hands in terms of what he wants to do with his long-term future, and we're certainly delighted to have him within our players.”
Newcastle United would allow Sean Longstaff to leave
Howe’s suggestion that Longstaff is in control of his future was expanded upon by the Newcastle head coach at the end of last season.
“No [we won’t stand in his way], but I think we'll work with Sean on that,” Howe told The Gazette. “I think he's got our utmost respect. He's been a brilliant servant to the football club.
“What I meant by that [he'll dictate his future] was he has a contract with the football club. So, in some sense, he can dictate what happens with his future.
“Let's wait and see on that. He's still a very valued member of the squad.”
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Sean Longstaff addresses Newcastle United future
Speaking last season, Longstaff was open when discussing his future at Newcastle.
“I want to be valued as a player, I want to be appreciated as a player and whether it’s here great,” he said. “If it’s not here and it’s somewhere else, it’ll be somewhere else.
“In a way I live day to day, game to game and I just try and take in every game. I get to go to work every day and spend it with my best friends, I don’t know what’s coming ahead, I don’t know what’s coming down the line, I just try to embrace every day and enjoy every minute because ultimately it won’t last forever.”
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