It’s the saga which has been ongoing for most of the season – Matty Longstaff’s contract situation.
With him available on a free at the end of the season, plenty of big sides have shown interest, such as Inter Milan, but now French giants Marseille are said to have joined the race, according to the Sun.
Despite picking up a handful of appearances this season being just 19-years-old, scoring in both fixtures against Manchester United, being the younger brother of an established first-teamer and being an academy graduate, the club still finds themselves in a situation whereby Longstaff’s deal is set to expire in the summer.
It’s reported that Longstaff is wanting to stay, but there can be no agreement found in regards to his contract. Some reports suggest that the midfielder is currently on £850-per-week.
Talks have been held, and according to Mark Douglas from the Chronicle, the player wants to stay. It’s just the talks are at a stalemate as the player and his representatives are allegedly demanding too much for his basic salary, whereas the club would rather pay him more on an appearance-based wage.
There was a pretty mixed response from the fanbase, with some suggesting that the club are being stingy over his deal, while others don’t think he has justified such interest.
Here are some of their replies…
@Geordie_Givens why am I not surprised at the toon stalling over improving on 850 quid a week hahaha
— Chris Chilvers (@chillychilvers) February 28, 2020
Matty’s agent should be all over forging a deal in the Bundesliga over Ligue.
— Daniel Simons (@Daniel_Simons) February 28, 2020
Matty’s not the finished article ,yet a team like Marseille is after him who next Barcelona ?
— gary hakin (@garyhakin) February 28, 2020
why are the club dragging their heels over it ?
— Paul King (@paulkingy87) February 28, 2020
So Marseille could be interested in signing Matty Longstaff. Need to get the contracts sorted out ASAP instead of farting around and risking losing players! #NUFC
— Paul (@thetoonreview) February 28, 2020
Because he’s shown at least some potential. They’ll sign him up for basically free and then loan him out. Why not?
— Matt_st13 (@WichitaJStraw) February 28, 2020
Longstaff has made seven appearances in the Premier League so far this season, scoring twice – both against Manchester United.
The player still has a long way to go before he becomes a top player, but he is surely someone they will want to keep at the club as he is one of their own, and could act as a great role model for those in the academy.