Newcastle United are keeping tabs on Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay after he told the Premier League side that he wants to leave, according to reports.
What's the latest on McTominay to Newcastle?
The Scottish international still has another two years remaining on his deal at Old Trafford, but having made just ten top-flight starts this season under Erik Ten Hag, is facing an uncertain future heading into the summer.
Back in February, Football Insider reported that the Red Devils will be open to offers for the 26-year-old during the upcoming window and had set an initial price tag of £25m, though according to The Sun, that has now doubled to £50m. Prior to this increase, Eddie Howe was reportedly personally pushing the board to go all out and secure his target’s services having been interested in completing a deal in January where at the time, United weren’t willing to let him join another top four chasing rival.
According to Football Insider now though, Newcastle and West Ham are both “monitoring the availability” of McTominay after he told the Red Devils that he is ready to quit should his game time not improve before the end of the season. The Magpies are therefore “aware” of his position and are “waiting to pounce” should a cut-price deal become available in the summer.
Casemiro, Marcel Sabitzer and Christian Eriksen have been first-choice options in the centre for Ten Hag and the maestro “worries” that another arrival could push him even further down the pecking order. His boss “is a fan” of his qualities and considers him a “valuable” member of his squad but “accepts” that he may want to leave.
Huge boost for Eddie Howe…
Newcastle won’t be happy that McTominay’s price tag has doubled but should they secure Champions League football, they are likely to receive a big paycheck anyway so will be more flexible when it comes to enticing their targets to St. James’ Park.
The Lancaster-born talent is naturally a defensive midfielder which is shown in him ranking in the 99th percentile for clearances and the 95th for aerials won where he is a huge physical presence in the centre standing at 6 foot 3, as per FBRef.
Alongside guarding his own box, the Adidas-sponsored star can also contribute to his team’s efforts at the opposite end of the pitch having scored three goals and provided one assist across all competitions this season, the most recent coming during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Everton, via Transfermarkt.
Finally, McTominay has been dubbed a “monster” by United’s former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he would be the perfect candidate to slot into the centre alongside Bruno Guimaraes ahead of the 2023/24 term.