TalkSport’s Alex Crook has claimed that Newcastle United cooled their interest in Jesse Lingard due to his wage demands.
The England midfielder has been a free agent since July 1, and is currently assessing his options in search of his next club. As of right now, the two main options seem to be Everton and West Ham, with Newcastle cooling their interest.
Crook said on TalkSport: “It’s a similar situation up at Newcastle as well. They looked at Jesse Lingard earlier in the window, but my understanding is their interest has cooled significantly because of those wage demands.”
With Newcastle seemingly out of the race, that leaves just West Ham and Everton left in line to compete, with David Moyes focusing on Lingard, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Newcastle have had a fairly positive transfer window already, and may feel as though the need for a player of Lingard’s calibre does not outweigh other needs in other departments, such as the frontline, where they are forced to rely on an injury prone Callum Wilson.
TIF Thoughts on Jesse Lingard…
Lingard will be desperate for game-time, and it must be his priority when choosing his next destination. As Crook claimed, though, his wages were a problem for Newcastle, and it remains to be seen whether or not they will also prove to be a stumbling block for West Ham.
There’s still a long way to go until deadline day, and a lot can happen, but Lingard won’t want to take his time over his next move. And with the World Cup coming up, he must make the right choice if he wants to get a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
The midfielder is certainly good enough for a place, as proved when on loan at West Ham in the second half of the 2020/21 season, when he was involved in 14 goals in 16 games.