Former Premier League star who 'agreed' Newcastle United move 'verbally agrees' two-year deal

Former Manchester United and England star Jesse Lingard is closing in on a shock move to South Korean side FC Seoul.

The 32-time capped Three Lions international has been without a club since being released by Nottingham Forest at the end of last season. Lingard trained at former club West Ham United last summer before failing to win a contract at Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq.

But according to multiple reports, Lingard is finally nearing a return to football. It's understood the 31-year-old has verbally agreed a two-year deal with the option of a further year at FC Seoul and is due to fly out and complete the move in the coming days.

After being let go by Man United, Lingard signed a lucrative one-year contract at Forest ahead of the 2022-23 campaign but the move failed to have the desired impact. Although the Reds retained their top-flight status, Lingard played little part having featured just 17 times in total.

Indeed Lingard’s career has stalled since a loan move to Newcastle United fell through. A deal between the Magpies and Lingard was agreed in January 2022 but Man United refused to sanction the move.

“I wanted to go on loan again in January because I wasn’t playing again,” Lingard told the Diary of a CEO podcast. “Newcastle was on the cards in January. The deal was done - everything - but the United squad was not big enough.

“A couple of players went out on loan and when it came to me, John Murtough [Manchester United director of football] rang me and was like, ‘no, you’re not going on loan.’ I was like, ‘he’s on loan. Let me go and enjoy my football. I’m not playing here so let me go on loan.

“I want to play football.’ He was like, ‘what do you want? Days off?’ I said, ‘no. I want to go play football.’ They stopped the loan, obviously I was p----d”

Lingard was frozen out by then manager Ralf Rangnick for the second half of that season. Newcastle retained an interest in the following transfer window but weren’t willing to meet the player’s reported £200,000-per-week wage demands.