Newcastle United looking to beat West Ham United to the signing of out-of-contract Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard in January
According to The Daily Star, Newcastle United are ready to beat West Ham United to the signing of soon-to-be out-of-contract Manchester United star Jesse Lingard by signing him in January.
The Toon Army have deep pockets now and are ready to exercise them. They have already signed Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood halfway through the January transfer window. And they are now looking to make more additions.
Jesse Lingard is the next man on the list. The Man United ace has six months left on his contract, and West Ham are eyeing a free transfer for him in the summer. But the Geordies are ready to make a £3million bid for the playmaker this month.
The Hammers are not keen to get into a bidding war, especially since the Red Devils could be open to letting their fringe star join Eddie Howe’s side as the East London club are direct competitors to us in the Top 4 race.
Lingard to move to the Northeast?
Man United can do very little from hereon in to influence the next move of the Englishman. Lingard has struggled for minutes this season, despite a change in management mid-way through the campaign.
Thus, we have not done anything to rekindle his faith in signing a new deal. He continues to struggle for minutes under Ralf Rangnick, which was the case under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as well. So, with less than six months on his deal, he could either seal a cut-price move this month or join a club on a free transfer in the summer.
The 28-year-old is interested in staking a claim to be in the England squad for the World Cup and it remains to be seen if potentially joining a relegation-battling club can help his agenda. It could be a risky transfer, especially if he fails to help them stay up this season.
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A six-month loan move before a permanent deal could be negotiated, but that remains in the hands of Lingard and his representatives. Ideally, it would be wise to keep until the end of the campaign, but there can be no arguments if he leaves anytime soon.
He is at an age in his career where he would feel that this may be one of the last chances where he can represent England at the FIFA World Cup. Warming the bench will be of no help in that regard, and for that reason, it is unlikely that our fans would hold it against Lingard if he was to seal a move away from Old Trafford midway through the season.
