Newcastle United and Eddie Howe already told next major contract decision as key man ‘set’ to leave

Longstaff is one of a number of Newcastle United players that is out of contract at the end of the season with the club set to have a number of big calls to make ahead of the January transfer window and beyond. Any player that enters the winter window with just six months left on their current contract is free to speak to foreign clubs to discuss a pre-contract agreement which would see them leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Longstaff is a key part of Eddie Howe’s first-team and has started four matches in a row in all competitions. The Magpies will be reluctant to see a key player like Longstaff leave on a free transfer - particularly when the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules offers clubs a big - and unintended - reward for selling academy grown players.

It’s understood that the club have an option to extend Longstaff’s current deal, although the midfielder admitted earlier this month that he was unsure whether that option had been triggered. Speaking about his future, Longstaff said: “Yeah, if it’s here it’s great. If it’s not, it’s not.

“I want to be valued as a player, I want to be appreciated as a player and whether it’s here great. If it’s not here and it’s somewhere else, it’ll be somewhere else.”

Longstaff’s future at the club is a hotly-debated topic, but Shields Gazette readers have delivered a clear verdict on whether or not the club should extend Longstaff’s current deal. In a poll on our website, 81% of respondents believe that Longstaff should be offered a new deal, with just 19% believing that the club should not give the 27-year-old a new deal.

Fabian Schar is also out of contract at the end of the season but unlike Longstaff, the former Swiss international does not have an option for the club to automatically trigger an extension in his current contract. That means they will have to negotiate directly with Schar and his representatives if they want to see his time on Tyneside extended.