Sean Longstaff's perfect response to rejected £12m Leeds United bid as Newcastle United exit agreed — The Shields Gazette 16/7/25

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By Dominic Scurr

Sean Longstaff reacted to Leeds United’s rejected transfer offer in the perfect way at Newcastle United.

Longstaff is into the final year of his contract and open to leaving Newcastle this summer as he looks for regular first-team football.

The 27-year-old hasn’t started a Premier League game for Newcastle since 2024 and was subject to a £12million transfer bid from Leeds United earlier this month.

The offer was rejected by Newcastle, but Leeds have since returned with a £15million proposal (£12million plus £3million in add-ons) that has been agreed in principle, as per The Athletic. Although Longstaff has played a peripheral role at St James’ Park over the past year and his contract expires in June 2026, his solid footballing CV justifies Newcastle holding out for an increased fee.

There aren’t many English midfielders who have scored in the Champions League, won a major trophy and helped a side finish in the top seven in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons. Longstaff is also Newcastle’s only recognised senior club-trained player heading into the 2025/26 Champions League campaign, so holds some value in that respect as well.

But when the option is between losing Longstaff for nothing next summer or cashing in now, Newcastle’s preference is clear. And it appears they have got their reward for standing firm in their valuation.

Sean Longstaff’s perfect reaction to rejected Leeds United bid

Rather than pushing to leave after Leeds’ rejected bid, Longstaff has returned to training as usual at Newcastle this pre-season and reacted well to Newcastle initially blocking his exit by scoring in the pre-season opener against Carlisle United on Saturday. The Magpies won 4-0 in the training ground friendly before flying out to Austria to continue their pre-season preparations.

Longstaff is with the squad in Austria and is preparing for Saturday’s pre-season match at Celtic (3pm kick-off).

But things can change quickly in football, especially when transfers are involved. Last Tuesday, Anthony Elanga woke up in Portugal for some early-morning running drills and ended the day arriving at Darsley Park to finalise his move to Newcastle.

Leeds United keen on Sean Longstaff

As per The Gazette’s sister title, The Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds have already had three proposals for Longstaff knocked back by Newcastle.

But a fourth offer seems to have done the trick. The midfielder is viewed as one of Newcastle’s most sellable assets due to his lack of first-team starts in 2025 as well as his academy graduate status which would see any sale registered as pure profit in PSR calculations.

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has stressed how much he values Longstaff as part of the squad, but was previously open in admitting that the midfielder’s long-term future is uncertain and would be largely dictated by the player himself.

In reality, Newcastle are still the ones dictating Longstaff’s future by rejecting Leeds’ initial transfer bids, but have always conveyed the message that they would allow the player to leave at the right price.

When asked by The Gazette if Newcastle would stand in Longstaff’s way should he wish to leave the club this summer, Howe said: “No, but I think we'll work with Sean on that. He's got our utmost respect. He's been a brilliant servant to the football club.

“He has a contract with the football club. So, in some sense, he can dictate what happens with his future.

“Let's wait and see on that. He's still a very valued member of the squad.”

Howe rates Longstaff’s work-rate and tactical understanding, which he has deemed ‘second to none’ in the Newcastle squad. But the Geordie midfielder has struggled to get into a competitive midfield including Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton. He has also fallen behind Joe Willock and Lewis Miley in the midfield pecking order in 2025.

The Magpies have already raised £30million in player sales in 2025 with the departures of Lloyd Kelly and Miguel Almiron. A high earner in Callum Wilson has also left the club as a free agent.

But more sales will be required if Newcastle want to finance all of their top targets while avoiding any PSR trouble. The club have already spent £55million on the signing of Anthony Elanga, though the fee will be amortised over five years, costing the club around £11million per year, including add-ons.

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