Some good and not so good news has emerged from The Telegraph in the last few moments, with Luke Edwards sharing updates on our attempts to sign Jesse Lingard and Diego Carlos.
The good news is that we are believed to be ‘closing in’ on Lingard, having submitted a second offer to sign the Manchester United attacker today.
That bid is believed to be ‘around £12m’, however it’s said that the player wants to keep his options open heading into the summer – despite initial suggestions he could sign on a permanent deal – so would therefore prefer to join on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Luke Edwards also states that Lingard is ‘tempted’ to make the move to Tyneside, which is hugely promising after some suggested he was holding out for a return to London.
It does seem a complicated situation, however, as the player prefers a loan and his club want a permanent move; allowing them to receive a fee before he leaves on a free this summer.
One thing is certain. He is in dire need of game time after just 89 minutes of Premier League action all season and is good friends with Kieran Trippier; an England teammate who also originates from Greater Manchester.
Now to the not so good news, which features that man Diego Carlos and our never-ending attempts to agree a fee with Sevilla.
The Telegraph claim that, after a ‘frantic day of negotiations’, we are growing increasingly frustrated by the La Liga side’s demands.
It’s said that the 28-year-old remains keen on a move to Tyneside, despite rival interest from an unnamed Premier League side, however it seems attentions have turned to Lingard for now as we refuse to meet Sevilla’s ever-changing demands.
It sounds like we aren’t giving up on Carlos just yet, knowing he is keen to come and will have no issue agreeing personal terms, but we clearly won’t be backed into a corner and forced to pay whatever price the Spanish side demand; especially when the player turns 29 in March.
Let’s hope a move for Lingard can be wrapped up before we are forced to fend off any late interest, with him being exactly the type of player who could boost our survival hopes based on his outstanding form at West Ham this time last year.
As for our centre-back pursuit, it seems no one will arrive before Saturday’s trip to Leeds now a move for Carlos is stalling, which is a real concern given they tore West Ham apart in a 3-2 win at the London Stadium last weekend.
