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Longstaff to be scouted

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A host of top European clubs are set to scout Newcastle United midfielder Matty Longstaff on Thursday if he features in England’s U-20s’ clash with Portugal, according to the Chronicle.

The regional newspaper report that England’s U-20s clash will have a clutch of scouts from Spain’s La Liga and France’s Ligue 1 watching on in the stands with word spreading about the Magpies midfielder’s contract situation.

The Chronicle report that the Magpies and Longstaff have been in talks about a new contract in recent weeks but that the club are yet to break the deadlock.

It is believed that Longstaff will be available for a knockdown fee of £400,000 in June if he doesn’t agree to new terms as that is when his current contract expires.

OPINION

Is it any surprise that a host of scouts are set to go checkout Longstaff? No, the 19-year-old hit the headlines with his match-winning goal against Manchester United and the fact he hasn’t signed a new contract yet, means he could be a bargain in June, so why wouldn’t clubs check him out? Longstaff has never been away with England before, with his call-up to the U20’s a reward for his form this season, so there is a chance that scouts won’t get to see him in action. However, it does seem likely that he may get at least a few minutes as it would be odd to call a player up for the first time only to snub the chance to play him. The teenager has played three times in the Premier League for Steve Bruce’s side so far, averaging 0.7 key passes and three long balls per game, as per WhoScored, and is no doubt eager for more opportunities to come his way. Longstaff faces a tough battle when it comes to reguarly featuring in the Magpies’ midfield as he has the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden and even his own brother Sean, competing with him to play in the centre of the park.

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