Newcastle in £15m gamble after rejecting offer from Spain for midfield star
Newcastle have rejected the advances of Valencia after the Spanish club came in with a loan bid for midfielder Sean Longstaff.
According to The Mirror, the La Liga side wanted to take the player on loan with a view to a £15million deal.
Valencia are managed by former Watford boss Javi Garcia. He’s seen Longstaff in action and was hoping a loan bid with option-to-buy offer would tempt the Magpies.
Longstaff has only 18 months left on his contract. So Newcastle have to make a decision on the local lad soon before he enters the final year of his deal.
A dip in form during Newcastle‘s difficult season so far could make it tempting to try and cash in.
However, it’s believed that boss Steve Bruce doesn’t want to weaken his squad as Toon try and pull away from the relegation zone. And therefore Valencia’s bid has been rejected.
It also doesn’t give Newcastle’s coffers much of a boost by agreeing to a loan that could result in no deal at the end.
According to The Times (via The Boot Room), Longstaff is on just £25,000 a week. So they wouldn’t recuperate much by getting Valencia to pay those wages.
A straight £15m bid may have tested their resolve. But the loan deal doesn’t seem tempting enough with no guarantee at the end of it.
The 23-year-old has played in 12 Premier League games this season, three of those when coming off the bench.
He hasn’t appeared since starting in the 1-0 loss to bottom club Sheffield United on the 12th of January.
Newcastle boosted by Wilson double
Longstaff played no part in Newcastle’s much-needed 2-0 victory at Everton on Saturday lunchtime.
Callum Wilson struck twice after the break to lift Newcastle to 16th place. The victory was their first win in 12 games.
Bruce’s side now have back-to-back home games against Crystal Palace and Southampton.