‘I want’ - Newcastle United star has already dropped transfer hint amid Leeds United links
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Leeds United have reportedly listed Sean Longstaff as a potential transfer target this summer after securing promotion back to the Premier League.
Leeds head into the final weekend of the season knowing a win against Plymouth Town will see them lift the Championship trophy. Having secured promotion back to the top-flight last week following a win over Stoke City, Leeds will return to the Premier League next season with ambitions of avoiding relegation back to the second-tier.
Daniel Farke, whose position as Leeds manager has come into question in recent times, will hope to be given the chance to lead them in the Premier League - with Longstaff reportedly being shortlisted as a potential option for them when the summer window opens. Longstaff has not been a regular at St James’ Park this season and has seen his position in the pecking order slip with the starting trio of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton often being supported off the bench by Joe Willock and Lewis Miley.
A move away from St James’ Park may allow Longstaff to play first-team football on a more regular basis again - whilst one of the quirks of PSR mean that the Magpies would benefit from selling him more than most other players in their squad. That’s because any money received from selling Longstaff can be recorded as pure profit on the club’s financial records - money that can be stretched a lot further on new signings.
Chelsea and Manchester City have used this to great effect in recent years and have been able to raise huge amounts of money through the trade of their academy players.
Sean Longstaff’s transfer admission
Whilst the I’s reports of Leeds United’s interest in the midfielder is fresh, Longstaff was linked with a move to Goodison Park earlier this season. And with just over a year left on his current deal at the club, Longstaff’s future has been a talking point for a number of months.
Speaking after his side’s win over Arsenal back in November, a match in which Longstaff starred in midfield, he was asked if his future was at the club, Longstaff responded: “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.
“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.”
The 27-year-old has represented his boyhood club on over 200 occasions and will be keen on helping his side return to the Champions League in the final few weeks of the season. Longstaff memorably netted against PSG at St James’ Park in Newcastle’s brief Champions League outing last season.