Leeds United 'monitor' £15m-rated Newcastle United star ahead of major contract decision

Championship promotion contenders Leeds United are reportedly monitoring Sean Longstaff’s contract situation at Newcastle United.

The 26-year-old midfielder has been a consistent presence in Magpies’ sides under Eddie Howe and has been repeatedly praised by the United boss for his attitude and ability in the middle of the park. However, Longstaff is now approaching the final 12 months of the contract extension he penned in the summer of 2022 and both the academy product and Newcastle are facing a major decision over his future.

Speaking in a recent interview with FourFourTwo, Longstaff gave an insight into what has been a challenging season at St James Park as Eddie Howe’s side have combined a heavy fixture schedule with battling against a seemingly never-ending list of injuries and absentees.

He said: “It makes you have even more respect for the top teams; the fact they do it every year and they’re still outstanding. We’ve got the experience now: we know what it’s going to be like. Now we want to be back in those situations to show that we can do it better next time. Hopefully it’s better injury-wise and we can rotate a tad more, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Every player’s the same: they’d rather be playing matches than training. It’s been difficult, but a great learning curve, and hopefully one we can use in the future.”

Longstaff has always spoken of his desire to succeed with Newcastle after breaking through the Magpies academy system to establish himself in the senior setup at St James Park. However, there has been some speculation suggesting United could allow one of their academy graduates to leave this summer as they look to resolve their issues with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability regulations.

The Sunday Mirror has claimed Leeds are monitoring Longstaff’s situation as they begin to prepare for a potential return to the Premier League. The Whites were relegated into the Championship last season but have impressed in the second tier under Daniel Farke and current sit at the top of the table following a 2-0 home win against Millwall on Sunday afternoon.

The report also suggests Newcastle will demand around £15m before considering any deal for Longstaff and that figure is said to be within Leeds’ budget, meaning a deal could be a possibility if the Whites are successful in return to the Premier League over the next two months.