Manchester United playmaker Jesse Lingard is impressed with Newcastle United’s pulling power as the Magpies make a move to sign him.
That’s according to a report from Sky Sports, who claim that Newcastle have now made a fresh approach to Manchester United.
Lingard is inside the final six months of his contract at Manchester United and has made it clear that he will be leaving.
Lingard is now believed to be interested in hearing what Newcastle have to offer and may fancy a permanent move to St James’ Park.
There are two key points to Lingard’s alleged interest in a move to Newcastle.
The first is that Lingard is ‘impressed’ with Newcastle’s ability to attract quality players to Tyneside this month.
Newcastle have brought in two new faces with Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood arriving from Atletico Madrid and Burnley respectively.
Trippier is the other key point, as it’s suggested that Lingard is very close friends with the right back.
Both came through in Manchester, Lingard with United and Trippier with City, and they know each other well from the England setup.
That could now be vital for Newcastle, as the prospect of joining forces with Trippier could be very appealing to Lingard.
Branded a ‘total player’ by Gianfranco Zola, Lingard enjoyed a stunning time on loan at West Ham last season.
With nine goals and four assists in 16 games for the Hammers, Lingard showed what he can do with regular playing time.
Unfortunately for him, that loan form hasn’t resulted in a bigger role at United, and Lingard is out of favour at Old Trafford.
This would be a huge capture for Newcastle if they can pull it off, as Lingard can provide a huge goal threat from midfield.
The concern for Newcastle will be that Lingard has so far wanted to wait until the summer to decide his next club as a free agent.
Newcastle will hope their project can tempt Lingard, and having Trippier on board may just tip the balance.
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