Newcastle rejected 'colossal' offer for Man Utd target as star eyed transfer
Newcastle turned down a "colossal" amount of money for Sean Longstaff, who was wanted by Manchester United back in 2019.
Ex-Magpies boss Steve Bruce, formerly United skipper in his playing days, has revealed that Newcastle were busy fending off interest when he was appointed manager at St James' Park, reportedly demanding £50million to sell local lad Longstaff. The Newcastle academy graduate, now 26, had been targeted by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his first summer transfer window and Longstaff even "insisted" on making the move to Old Trafford.
"I inherited Sean at a time where a big-money move to Manchester United was on the cards," Bruce revealed to Gambling Zone. "Newcastle were turning down a colossal amount of money, and that was swirling around at the time. Sean was recovering from an awful injury at the time. He's entitled to his opinion, and he's shown maturity over the last couple of years.
"We had him almost five years ago. He was a lot younger then, a lot of things were swirling around, and that was combined with a long-term injury.
"He's proven to be a very good player. Sean's move to Man United was never close. He was insistent that it was at one point, but I knew Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and [his assistant] Mike Phelan - it was never on the cards."
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As Bruce alluded to, Longstaff is now a key player in Eddie Howe's Newcastle side and memorably scored for the Magpies in their tremendous 4-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last month. The 26-year-old has a contract which keeps him at his boyhood club until June 2025 and it'll take some serious quality to knock him out of the starting XI.
Sean Longstaff was wanted by former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Stu Forster/Getty Images)Get involved! Would Sean Longstaff have been a success at Man Utd? Let us know your verdict in the comments section.
Longstaff didn't enjoy his time under Bruce and told The Athletic earlier this year: "I didn't feel like I was getting massively coached into becoming the best version of me. It was perfect when I broke through (under Rafa Benitez). I came in and did well and everyone loves you.
"When Steve Bruce came in as manager, I'd come back from injury and didn't really feel like I was ready but sort of felt like I had to play. When you're in that mindset and in that position, you're never going to be able to play well."
Bruce addressed those claims and insisted: "I've been nothing but impressed with how he's got on, and you have to accept that criticism of a part of management. Not everybody is going to like you, and I never expected him to. It's never given as a manager. There were times where Sean needed to mature, and he has done."
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