Newcastle United set for UEFA punishment as £12m Leeds United transfer imminent
Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff could be leaving the club this summer following a fresh transfer move from Leeds United.
Leeds have been long-term admirers of the midfielder and are now looking to strike a deal following their return to the Premier League.
According to The Athletic, Leeds have submitted a £10million bid for Longstaff plus £2million in add-ons. Personal terms are already in place with Longstaff open to leaving his boyhood club.
It comes after Newcastle triggered a contract clause in the 27-year-old’s deal that extended his stay from June 2025 to June 2026, allowing the club to cash in this summer and avoid losing the player for nothing.
Since triggering the extension in December 2024, Longstaff did not start a Premier League game for Newcastle as he fell behind Joe Willock and Lewis Miley in the pecking order.
Selling Longstaff would be called as pure profit for Newcastle in PSR calculations, as he is an academy graduate. The midfielder has made 214 appearances for The Magpies, scoring 16 goals.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe already hinted at Longstaff’s departure during the back end of the 2024/25 campaign, admitting the club wouldn’t stand in the player’s way should he choose to leave.
Although Longstaff joining Leeds would be financially beneficial to Newcastle, it would have some minor repercussions regarding the Champions League.
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Sean Longstaff sale would see NUFC punished by UEFA rules in Champions League
Newcastle will have to adhere to UEFA squad rules in the Champions League next season and selling Longstaff will see them punished in the form of being forced to have a reduced squad size in the competition.
UEFA rules require at least four club-trained players to be named in a squad in order to fill the full 25-man quota for the Champions League.
After losing Dummett and Elliot Anderson last summer, Longstaff is Newcastle’s only senior club-trained player. Lewis Miley can also be classed as club-trained but, as he’s under 21, he does not need to be included in the main squad list.
Selling Longstaff would leave Newcastle without any club-trained players and would force them to reduce their European squad size to just 21 players in the Champions League.
After struggling to deal with the added fixtures of European football last time around with three club-trained players, having a reduced Champions League squad for next season could be seen as a risk for Howe’s side.
Without Longstaff, Newcastle have 26 senior squad members as things stand. That’s before the potential signing of Anthony Elanga, which means several players will have to be cut when the squad is named.
Newcastle United Champions League key dates
The Champions League group phase draw will take place on August 28 where Newcastle will find out their eight opponents as they look to reach the knockout stages of the competition for the first time.
The matchday schedule for the group games is as follows...
Matchday 1: September 16/17/18
Matchday 2 September 30/October 1
Matchday 3: October 21/22
Matchday 4: November 4/5
Matchday 5: November 25/26
Matchday 6: December 9/10
Matchday 7: January 20/21
Matchday 8: January 28