“Battle-hardened”: United’s bitter rivals poised to make move for long-term midfield target – report

Leeds United are reportedly keen on signing long-term Manchester United target Sean Longstaff.

The 27 year old has been linked to United for a long time, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pursuing the player in the summer of 2019.

Nonetheless, the Red Devils would not entertain Newcastle United’s asking price of over £40 million and talks soon collapsed.

The midfielder’s influence at Newcastle has decreased over the years due to the signings of players such as Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães but he was recently linked again to a shock move to Old Trafford.

The Peoples Person relayed last month that United were once again eyeing a surprise move for Longstaff.

The i Paper report that United’s bitter rivals Leeds could now make a move for the midfielder this summer.

The Elland Road side have recently gained promotion back to the Premier League after a fine season in the Championship.

They will be looking to add to their squad to boost their chances of survival but there have been hints that the owners’ recruitment strategy is at odds with their manager Daniel Farke.

The board seems to want a more data driven approach while Farke wants more “battle-hardened” players.

“There are times when those approaches coalesce – Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff is a potential target, The i Paper understands.”

Longstaff is approaching a key juncture in his career where at 27, he will probably want to be a first team regular, rather than the squad option he currently is at St James’ Park.

To emphasise his reduced role, he has not played more than 25 minutes of a Premier League match since December.

The Red Devils are likely to look elsewhere for midfield signings with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Atalanta’s Ederson is a player that the club is very interested in recruiting this summer.

Featured image George Wood via Getty Images

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