Newcastle United set to trigger deal for midfielder ahead of January transfer window
Newcastle United are set to exercise an option to extend Sean Longstaff’s contract by a further year.
The Geordie midfielder’s current contract - a three-year deal signed back in May 2022 - is due to expire at the end of the campaign but as per Mail Sport, an option to lengthen the duration until 2026 becomes active in December.
Triggering the clause will prevent the 27-year-old from speaking to overseas clubs in January and then stop him walking away for free next summer.
Longstaff underlined his value to Eddie Howe’s team last week by shining in back-to-back wins against Chelsea and Arsenal at St James’ Park. But when asked about his future after the Gunners game, Longstaff gave an intriguing response.
“If it’s here it’s great. If it’s not, it’s not,” said Longstaff, who is closing in on 200 appearances for his boyhood club.
“I want to be valued as a player, I want to be appreciated as a player and whether it’s here great. If it’s not here and it’s somewhere else, it’ll be somewhere else.
“In a way I live day to day, game to game and I just try and take in every game. I get to go to work every day and spend it with my best friends, I don’t know what’s coming ahead, I don’t know what’s coming down the line, I just try to embrace every day and enjoy every minute because ultimately it won’t last forever.”
Newcastle must decide whether agree a new long-term contract with Longstaff or, as a last resort, sell him. In a world of Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), academy prospects carry greater monetary value as they generate “pure profit”.
And that is something Howe doesn’t believe is right as he referenced Elliot Anderson’s move to Nottingham Forest.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Forest, Howe said: “Like I’ve said before I don’t understand the rationale. I don’t understand why we’re in a position to incentivise selling academy products. I don’t necessarily think they started with that intention of forcing teams to make those decisions.
“So for us to put all the work into Elliot, the academy, the coaches, the time, to then see him leave and flourish for another Premier League club is something that we feel we should be in a position to do.”