According to Sky Sports, Sean Longstaff is ‘hopeful’ a deal can be agreed between Manchester United and Newcastle – but will be ‘fully committed’ to the club if we refuse to sell.
On the plus side, Sky insist that the two clubs are “a long way apart in their valuation of the player”.
They state that Man Utd are still ‘weighing up’ what to offer in their opening bid, but it’s reported that their valuation is £20m – a HUGE £30m less than our £50m valuation.
As Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol states below, it seems they are now deciding up how much to offer for the 21-year-old – who’s said to be very much open to the move:
With this in mind, it’s now totally down to Mike Ashley, isn’t it? Longstaff wants the move but he’s happy to stay if we don’t want to sell. So, it’s over to you Mike. This will be the real test of whether or not he really is ‘not for sale’.
Sadly, everyone has a price at Mike Ashley’s Newcastle United, so it’ll now come down to how much they are willing to pay.
If these valuations are true, being £30m apart if you believe Sky, Man Utd’s stance will have to change quite considerably if they’re to offer the sort of fee which may tempt Mike Ashley into selling.
That said, it is a slight worry to hear that Longstaff is now receptive to the move and keen to talk to Man Utd.
This may come as no surprise to some given how shambolic our summer has been, however I had hoped he felt another season of regular first-team football at St James’ Park was essential to continue his development.
