Daniel Farke, the 49ers, and Leeds United’s recruitment team are in the process of recruiting players for the Premier League ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Leeds United have until late into August before the Premier League begins, but they will want most of their business done as early as possible to give the majority of the new faces a full pre-season.
Arguably, Leeds’ engine room is the area of the lowest priority. In spite of Joe Rothwell’s loan ending and Josuha Guilavogui’s contract expiring, the Whites have Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, and Ilia Gruev contracted and available.
That said, at least one midfielder would bolster their ranks further. They have been eyeing Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff for some time now. Longstaff was first linked to Leeds back in March 2024 and persistent Leeds links to Longstaff aren’t going away.
An update on Sean Longstaff’s future at Newcastle United amid interest from Leeds
The 49ers are looking at Premier League targets, which is why Longstaff’s availability is of interest. Sandro Tonali believes Longstaff is underrated and that is partly Leeds want him as competition for the likes of Ampadu and Tanaka.
There have been further updates regarding his future with the Magpies since, including the Champions League outfit’s stance on a departure. The Athletic report Longstaff’s future is “uncertain” at Newcastle.
They state that an exit appears likely but it is not guaranteed. The 27-year-old reportedly turned down opportunities to leave in January but he is now entering the final 12 months of his deal.
Should Newcastle sell, they can bank “pure profit” in PSR terms. However, the spanner in the works for Leeds and other suitors is that Longstaff is their only “club-trained” senior player.
That means keeping the academy graduate would be beneficial to European squad numbers because a club must include at least eight “locally trained players” on their List A, which is a 25-man squad.
Of these eight, at least four must be considered as “club-trained,” meaning they were trained by the club for a period of three seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21 — with Longstaff applying to both.
If a club fails to meet the UEFA requirements for locally trained players in their Champions League squad, the maximum number of players they can register on List A is then reduced accordingly.
Although, with that being said, Eddie Howe has opened the door for Longstaff to leave Newcastle this summer. However, this factor potentially complicates matters from a Leeds perspective.
Would Sean Longstaff provide more of a goal threat for Leeds?
Tanaka sparkled in midfield last season, but he also scored five goals for Leeds. He was the one and only deep midfielder to bag a goal of any kind, with Gruev, Rothwell, and Ampadu blanking.
Longstaff is tall and rangy but doesn’t lack in terms of intensity, as well as having the ability to crash the box and score from range. He could add a new dynamic to Leeds’ midfield pool.
| Team | Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Klimarnock (loan) – Scottish Premiership | 2016/17 | 17 | 3 | 2 |
| Blackpool (loan) – League One | 2017/18 | 45 | 9 | 5 |
| Newcastle United – Premier League | 2018/19 | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019/20 | 29 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2020/21 | 27 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2021/22 | 26 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2022/23 | 41 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2023/24 | 46 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024/25 | 32 | 0 | 1 |
His minutes have dried up of late, but the 27-year-old ticks a number of boxes for Leeds for next season. Not least, because he has far more experience than any other of Leeds’ current midfielders.
Tanaka has never played in a top five league, Gruev has in Germany, and Ampadu has a little experience in the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Serie A — but Leeds need far more than that.
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