Newcastle midfielder Matty Longstaff is out of contract this summer (Getty Images)
According to Daily Mail, Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has stated that the club have offered rising talent Matty Longstaff a fantastic contract offer.
The report also claims that the Magpies are desperate to extend his stay at St. James’ Park and the player has verbally agreed to play on until the end of the season despite his current contract set to expire on June 30.
A Newcastle academy graduate, Longstaff, has had a breakthrough campaign this season, featuring 12 times and scoring three goals across all competitions for his side. However, he is currently out of the side due to a thigh injury and will not feature in Newcastle’s Sunday fixture against Sheffield United in the Premier League.
The 20-year-old midfielder quickly rose to prominence after he scored his side’s lone goal against Manchester United at home as they cruised to victory. He once again repeated the feat in their away fixture against the Red Devils. However, he could not help them win as Magpies lost the game 4-1.
Having turned heads with his eye-catching displays in the midfield, Serie A side Udinese tried to lure him to Italy by offering him a £30,000-per-week package plus a £2.5million signing-on fee.
The interest from Italy had halted Longstaff’s contract talks with his boyhood club for some time. However, Bruce has now revealed that Newcastle have made a counter-offer to extend his stay at the club. The new contract extension, according to Bruce, will see Longstaff receive £20,000-a-week plus add-ons.
Lack of consistent goal-scorers and creativity in the midfield have affected the Magpies badly this season after managing to score just 28 goals from 30 league games.
With such a scenario still existing, losing a goal-scoring midfielder like Longstaff, who has impressed by scoring two goals in his mere seven league appearances, will be a loss. A defensive midfielder by trade, Longstaff is also capable of playing in a more central role, which further makes him a valuable asset for any side, let alone Newcastle.
At the moment, Newcastle just have two defensive midfielders in the side – Isaac Hayden and Jack Colback, apart from Longstaff. Though Hayden remains an obvious first-choice man in Bruce’s side, Colback is clearly not a favourite and has not featured in a single match this season.
Moreover, he will turn 31 this October, and Newcastle could really do with a young and upcoming talent like Longstaff. Hence, the Magpies’ decision to extend Longstaff’s stay at the club is, by all means, a wise move.
Longstaff has proved his potential this season after breaking through the ranks at Newcastle in such a short span of time. Losing such a player amidst interest from Italy will be a blow. Moreover, he is only 20 now and can go on to become an excellent player for them in the future if he fulfils his potential.
