Journalist Ross Gregory believes that Newcastle United haven’t closed the door on a deal for Jesse Lingard but admits it’s unlikely to happen.
The Telegraph previously claimed that Newcastle had given up hope of acquiring the 29-year-old due to his high wage demands and the Northern Echo revealed this week that his ‘financial demands’ are proving a ‘stumbling block’.
The former 32-cap England international saw his contract expire at Manchester United at the end of the season with the same report stating that the Magpies have ‘maintained a dialogue’ with the player’s intermediaries since the end of the campaign.
Now Gregory has reinforced those claims and has stressed that a deal seems unlikely given the current circumstances on Tyneside and with the club unwilling to disrupt the harmony within the team at present.
(54:04)”I don’t think that one is dead in the water. I think there’s still possibly more movement on that. I don’t think it’s right at the top of the priority list at the minute.
“I’ve been told they have had conversations with Lingard’s representatives since the season ended.
“I don’t think they’re prepared to unsettle the squad, not prepared to break the wage structure for Jesse Lingard although they might do it for another player.”
TIF Thoughts on Lingard and Newcastle…
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The former Red Devils attacker has scored 29 goals and created a further 17 in the Premier League throughout in just over 9000 minutes and his stint at West Ham during the second half of the 2020/21 season reinforced his quality.
However, it would seem that The Toon have other deals that they would like to make.
According to SalarySport, Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood or the club’s highest earners on £100k-per-week and with Lingard looking in excess of those figures they are perhaps well inclined to refrain from committing to a move given that his place in the side wouldn’t necessarily be guaranteed.
Meanwhile, Gregory’s hint that the club would be willing to break their wage structure for somebody else should make for exciting reading for supporters.