Sean Longstaff’s representatives pushed for the player to move into Newcastle United’s highest wage bracket during contract discussions, according to The Athletic.
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The 23-year-old has recently been linked with a move to the likes of Everton and Southampton for around £10m after struggling to replicate the kind of form that saw him compared to Michael Carrick upon his initial breakthrough back in 2019.
Out of contract in the summer of 2022, the academy graduate is reportedly expected to leave at some point between now and then given there is seemingly little hope of him signing fresh terms.
During talks between the two parties in regards to a new deal, Longstaff’s agents are believed to have been keen to see him paid alongside the club’s top earners. Indeed, the fact the midfielder is said to have been valued at £50m in the summer of 2019 is understood to have prompted that kind of talk in his camp, with Newcastle wanting to increase his wages incrementally.
Those talks hit an impasse some time ago and the player is said to have accepted that his future may lie away from St James’ Park.
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A knee injury picked up in March 2019 is understood to have seriously troubled the midfielder while he did also admit talk of a major money move to Old Trafford had become somewhat of a distraction.
Back in November, The Independent revealed that sources close to the club had suggested the lack of modern coaching under Steve Bruce could well have had a negative impact on his development too. Given Longstaff excelled under Rafa Benitez (known to be somewhat of a micro-manager), perhaps that kind of tactic would have worked much better when it came to trying to hone his craft.
With Newcastle needing to sell before they strengthen their squad further, his time on Tyneside looks set to end in disappointment.
