Newcastle United trigger deal for £15m player ahead of January as Eddie Howe remains coy

The Magpies are understood to have triggered a clause to extend Longstaff’s contract until 2026, while Schar is out of contract in the summer but both the player and club have expressed a hope of reaching an agreement.

But so far there has been no official update regarding their futures. When asked ahead of United’s Premier League visit to Ipswich Town, Howe replied: “We'll give you news on those things as and when things happen.

“We've got important players who are out of contract that we want to try and tie down to new contracts. We will give you the news when we have it.”

Both players recently surpassed 200 appearances for Newcastle. Schar’s £3million move from Deportivo La Coruna in 2018 is widely viewed as one of the club’s best-ever bargains while Longstaff came through the academy.

There is, however, some doubt surrounding Longstaff’s long-term future. He is one of several midfielders at Newcastle and in a PSR world, the sale of academy players goes on the books as “pure profit”.

In order to buy players in January, United will likely have to sell first. As a result, Longstaff, who is reportedly valued between £15m to £20m, is among the players Howe’s side will reluctantly consider offers for.

Speaking about his future recently, Longstaff said: “If it’s here it’s great. If it’s not, it’s not.. 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.”

Meanwhile, United have other contract decisions to make with Jamaal Lascelles, Callum Wilson, Emil Krafth and Martin Dubravka - who is attracting interest from Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab - also out of contract at the end of the campaign.