Manchester United have “no intention” of opening contract talks with Newcastle United’s January target, Jesse Lingard.
What’s the latest Newcastle United transfer news?
While a busy summer is surely expected at St James’ Park after a successful first transfer window under the PIF ownership, anyone expecting silly season might be disappointed.
Indeed, both Luke Edwards and Mark Douglas have suggested recruitment staff at the club will likely attempt to bring in quality rather than quantity, focusing more on building a squad rather than going out and signing big names merely for the sake of it.
As exciting as the Kieran Trippier deal was in January, the England international also represented an investment into a seasoned Premier League operator, with the same true of Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Chris Wood. That’s not to say there won’t be more eye-catching moves such as the one that brought Bruno Guimaraes to the club, but striking that balance will be absolutely key.
Should Newcastle look to sign Lingard?
This is where Lingard comes in.
A target over the course of the January window, the 29-year-old looks a sensible addition. Granted, potentially offering someone of his age a long-term and presumably expensive contract might not seem the wisest move from a business standpoint, but the Manchester United forward has Premier League experience in abundance.
Able to operate across the frontline, Lingard is also a palpable goal threat. In just 16 games for West Ham last season, he scored 9 times and registered a further five assists. With Chris Wood only scoring once in 10 games and Callum Wilson injury-prone, bringing him on a free would appear to make sense.
How much is Lingard paid at Manchester United?
Lingard’s deal, which SpotRac claim to be worth in the region of £75k-per-week, is currently set to expire at the end of the season.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Old Trafford club have “no intention” of renewing it.
Did Lingard want to join Newcastle in January?
That would appear to be the case.
Speaking to The Athletic in February, director Amanda Staveley said: ““Coming through all that showed us we can do it, that we can stick to our plan and if we get criticised on the last day for ‘oh, you’re going after Jesse’, well, Jesse wanted to come to us. We did everything. We never stopped. From the start to the finish, we did not stop working.”