Leeds United have been linked with a move for a Newcastle United player and now it has been claimed he is the “most-likely” midfielder to leave The Toon, with the club perhaps needing to sell him.
Leeds’ summer is going to look very different if they can beat Southampton on Sunday, to the summer it would be if The Whites have to go through another season in the Championship and lose at Wembley.
Daniel Farke’s side are already being linked with a plethora of players they could sign if the club do go up. Bayer Leverkusen striker Adam Hlozek is one, as is Borussia Dortmund defender Marius Wolf on a free.
Another is Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff, with reports claiming Leeds are considering a £15m move to lure the Toon academy product out of St. James’ Park if The Whites do end up promoted.
Newcastle stance on Sean Longstaff amid interest from Leeds
The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has told The New York Times that this summer is key for him. Eddie Howe likes him and wants to keep him, while Europe may see the Toon boss look to keep the £28k-a-week star.
Newcastle though, cannot afford to let him go on a free and given he cost nothing to buy, he represents profit under the watchful eye of Financial Fairplay and PSR rules. If he won’t sign a deal, he must be sold.
Leeds will have to get promoted to stand any chance of his signing and it is likely other Premier League clubs will be interested. But Newcastle could sell him and Leeds are gunning for promotion to the top tier.
How Longstaff would fit into Leeds midfield if signed
Longstaff is the kind of midfielder that is a throwback to the old-fashioned box-to-box type. One that can score goals but is also often seen on the edge of his own box, making tackles and blocks for Newcastle.
His passing is excellent, his stamina reliable and he is rarely injured. For £15m, Leeds could not do much better in signing a proven Premier League midfielder who is still only 26, but it is certainly ambitious.
However, if signed, Longstaff would be first choice and that is something he has never really had while at Newcastle. Alongside Ilia Gruev, he would be the perfect no.6 in Daniel Farke’s 4-2-3-1 system.