Newcastle United insider provides Sean Longstaff lowdown amid Leeds United transfer frustration

Leeds United would be getting a player who can play six, eight or the problem position of 10, but whatever task handed to him the important number is 100, in terms of percentage effort from Sean Longstaff if he signs for the Whites. That’s the view of Newcastle United head of sport Ross Gregory, who oversees all things Newcastle United for Chronicle Live.

Longstaff has been the source of three transfer bids from Leeds, who this week tabled a £10 deal for the midfielder, with add-ons taking the value to £12m. It’s a deal that has been knocked back by the Newcastle board, who while happy to listen to offers for a player who has a year remaining on his contract, are eager to get as much as possible for someone who represents pure profit on the books in PSR terms having come through the academy.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has made it clear he would like to keep Longstaff but will not stand in the player’s way of first team football, having not started the 27-year-old since December 2024. The Magpies are playing hard ball and continue to hold out for a further £3m, with Leeds perhaps looking elsewhere.

If they do manage to get a deal done, it will be worth the ait according to a man who has followed Longstaff’s progress from junior through to first team stardom.

“One thing Leeds fans can expect from Longstaff is full commitment,” says Gregory. “He’s adaptable – able to play as a No 6, an eight or even in the 10 role – but whichever position he plays he gives 100 per cent.

“Eddie Howe got the best out of him again after an uncomfortable spell under Steve Bruce which saw the manager and player fall out badly. Longstaff almost left the club and probably would have done if Bruce had stayed in charge, but under Howe he flourished, initially as a more defensive midfielder and then as the right sided No 8 in a three-man midfield.

“He can chip in with goals, and in fact probably hasn’t scored as many as he should have done, but his energy, intensity and game awareness in terms of when to sit and when to press, when to overlap and when to sit in and cover the full-back became a key aspect of Newcastle’s play as they qualified for the Champions League in 2023.

“He’s not a player who is great in tight situations with the ball at his feet but he’s a real team player and someone who will be missed around the group when he’s gone.”