Man Utd reignite shock interest in former £50m midfield target | OneFootball

Manchester United have reignited their interest in signing Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff, it has been claimed.

Longstaff was famously linked with United back in 2019 during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure. At the time, he was 21 years old and has just nine Premier League appearances to his name, and the Red Devils walked away from a deal after being quoted a fee of £50m.

The links between United and Longstaff faded soon after as injuries and mixed form saw him occupy a rotational role for Newcastle, but The Chronicle now state the 27-year-old is back on United's radar.

Longstaff is approaching the final 12 months of his contract with Newcastle and is facing the prospect of falling further down the pecking order under Eddie Howe, whose preferred midfield trio is made up of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.

18-year-old Lewis Miley is also expected to be given a greater role going forwards, leaving Longstaff in a real battle for minutes.

Everton have been linked with a move for Longstaff but, surprisingly, it is claimed United are once again chasing a deal for the 27-year-old, who could be available for a low price due to his contract situation.

Longstaff is approaching the end of his contract / George Wood/GettyImages

United have been linked with a whole host of incredibly expensive targets. RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons and Juventus' Kenan Yildiz both could cost upwards of €80m (£67.4m), while the Red Devils were recently quoted over €50m (£42.1m) for Borussia Dortmund's Felix Nmecha.

Longstaff's value would be nowhere near such steep figures and, with United faced with the prospect of needing to sell players before they can sign reinforcements, affordable targets like Longstaff could become more common.

Minutes have been tough to come by for Longstaff this season, despite the fact he enjoyed the best campaign of his career last year. 2023/24 yielded six goals and two assists in 35 Premier League games for Howe, including 30 starts.

A departure from St James' Park would be hard to accept for Longstaff, but the midfielder is said to recognise the need to play regular first-team football at what appears to be the peak of his career.