Former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce believes Matty Longstaff’s reported switch to Serie A outfit Udinese would be a ‘dangerous move’ and is only being mooted because of the financial incentives.
The Serie A side are understood to have offered the midfielder a deal worth 30 times his current salary, which is also twice as much as the Magpies are offering – believed to be in the region of £15,000 a week.
And with talks over a new deal for the talented midfielder – who is out of contract at the end of this month – currently at a standstill the signs look ominous for Magpies boss Steve Bruce.
The Premier League side will be due a measly £400,000 in compensation for the Rotherham-born midfielder, who has starred in the first team line up alongside his older brother, Sean.
And while a proposed takeover is nearing completion, news of Longstaff potentially leaving St James’ Park would incense the Toon fan base, according to Allardyce.
“It would rile the fanbase, they’d certainly be upset. They’ve welcomed him into the team and seen him score some very important goals,” he told talkSPORT Breakfast.
“The compensation for Newcastle would be very limited which would push the price of the next offer of a contract from Newcastle up.
“But it’s a very difficult negotiation for the club at this moment in time, to let a young player with that amount of talent run out of contract.
“He’s still so early on in his career so I think it’s a dangerous move. For me, it’s not a move for his career, it’s a move for money.
“That has to have been instigated by his agent I would say. They work in many, many countries now and many overseas players are looking to get players on the cheap.”
Allardyce, who managed Newcastle for a brief period from 2007 to 2008, believes Longstaff should have a long think to himself before committing to the Italian side.
“I think it’s all about the money, more than the football, and I think the player should think long and hard about his football career first before making that decision,” he explained.
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“You can’t blame the agent for it, it’s his job to find his client the best deal.
“We’d all like to secure our financial futures as early as we possibly can, but sometimes you can go to a football club and if you make the wrong choice you can be very, very miserable.
“If you can’t make any connections with teammates or make any time out of football, life becomes increasingly difficult and you can’t perform on the pitch.
“It’s not an easy move, but if he takes it then good luck to him. It will be disappointing for the Newcastle fans if he does go though.”
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