Newcastle told Man Utd Sean Longstaff was “not for sale” – Mike Ashley

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has insisted that youngster Sean Longstaff is not for sale.

The midfielder impressed after breaking into the first-team last season and has attracted heavy interest from Manchester United. However, Ashley has said Longstaff is going nowhere this summer.

A summer of change on Tyneside: Five things to know…

• • Ashley left Newcastle fans furious at the beginning of the summer after Rafa Benitez left the club.
  • Top scorer Ayoze Perez also left to join Leicester City.
  • The appointment of Steve Bruce angered the Toon Army further.
  • However, Ashley smashed Newcastle’s transfer record with the signing of Joelinton last week.
  • News of Longstaff staying will be a big boost for the Magpies.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Ashley said: “The message we want to put out is that he is not for sale. If you’ve got one like Sean – keep him.”

This echoes the view of new boss Steve Bruce, who told reporters last week that he was ‘very confident’ that Longstaff won’t leave the club this summer.

These statements, combined with Longstaff’s insistence that he was simply focusing on Newcastle earlier in the window, would heavily suggest that the midfielder is going nowhere.

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“I am not wealthy enough” – Ashley insists he is trying to sell

It is no secret that Mike Ashley is absolutely despised by Newcastle United fans. The supporters were clearly delighted with the news earlier in the window that they were to be taken over by an Arab group, but the deal has since gone quiet.

Ashley added in his interview: “The over-riding reality is that I am just not wealthy enough to own Newcastle. I genuinely believe you need £1billion. People say £500m but I’d bet anyone that these days you can’t do it for that. Not to compete at the very top.

“The day someone buys Newcastle, they’ll do their due diligence – and finished. It will happen like Manchester City. By the time the media find out, it’s already complete. There’s no need for a delay with Newcastle. It is, honestly, a very well-run football club.”