Newcastle United are reportedly preparing a £3 million swoop for Manchester United playmaker Jesse Lingard this month.
According to Daily Star, West Ham United are set to face renewed competition from Newcastle United in the pursuit of Jesse Lingard.
Jesse Lingard of Manchester United comes on as a substitute for Marcus Rashford during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford (Getty Images)
The Manchester United playmaker has emerged as a top target for the two Premier League clubs, with both keen on reinforcing their creative department.
West Ham were thought to be the main contenders in the race to sign Lingard.
However, it appears Newcastle United are prepared to make a bid in excess of £3 million in an attempt to snap him up in the January transfer window.
Lingard has endured a dismal campaign so far, having featured in only 88 minutes of league football and with a bid for Qatar 2022 on the way, Lingard is ready to jump the ship. Hence, the main reason he hasn’t renewed his contract yet.
The player’s current contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season, meaning the Magpies are essentially looking to coax Manchester United into an early sale.
Having signed Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood so far, Newcastle are prepared to make Lingard their third big recruitment of the January transfer window.
The Englishman will add real quality to the setup that has failed to create enough goalscoring opportunities for the centre-forwards. It is perhaps not a surprise why only three clubs have scored fewer goals than Newcastle this term.
After flourishing at West Ham on a six-month loan last term where he was involved in 14 goals in just 16 league appearances, helping the Hammers secure Europa League football.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe believes the United ace could have a similar impact at St James’ Park.
From Manchester United’s perspective, a sale to Newcastle United does make sense given West Ham are apparently direct rivals in the race to finish in the top four places.
However, it appears unlikely that Ralf Rangnick would want to sanction Lingard’s sale in the first place amid fears over the team’s lack of depth.