REPORT: Four-team race for Lingard — Newcastle, PSG, Milan, and Juventus chasing Manchester United attacker

As if we weren’t high enough already thinking about the possibility of landing Jesse Lingard this summer, Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail just dropped the very saucy developing story.

There are really interesting notes in that little report by Wheeler, and these are the most important ones to highlight:

• Jesse Lingard is determined to leave Manchester United no matter new coach Erik ten Hag’s opinion about him, his game, or anything else. Lingard is seemingly “unhappy over his treatment by the club” and he “feels he has been the victim of too many broken promises”.
• Lingard’s brother pretty much confirmed this a few days ago with an Instagram post in which he, basically, threw all of the crap he had at hand toward Man. Utd.
• Juventus, PSG, Milan, and Newcastle seem to be all-in about the possibility of signing Jesse Lingard for free this season. That’s three behemoths right there and a soon-to-be fourth with Newcastle plotting a big-time future already.
• Newcastle already showed interest in Lingaard’s services last January, only for Manchester United to demand an obscene deal that, obviously, Newcastle were never going to fall for with the player getting off his contract this June.
• Chris Wheeler is going as far as to say “negotiations with two of those four clubs are said to be at an advanced stage.”

Let’s breathe for a minute, folks.

That last bullet point is the key to this report. If two teams are in advanced negotiations with Lingard, then at least one of them must be Newcastle United. I sadly have no sources, but it is just the most reasonable possibility, and in fact, I’d even say that’s the only realistic name out of the four linked to the player in this report that could end up landing the outcast in a few weeks.

Call me crazy, but Juventus (glorious, historic, legendary Juventus) is not going to announce Lingard as their big summer arrival. No need to make a case against PSG. Milan, which might be an interesting option, is about to be crowned champion of the Serie A barring a catastrophe in their final three games of the season—not what you’d call an up-and-coming team, in other words.

Newcastle is building the foundation to become a legit, perennial winning side in the Premier League and Europe all over. Lingard is looking for a club that can give him first-team minutes, chances at breaking the starting XI weekly, and visibility ahead of the Qatar World Cup to be held in the last two months of 2022.

Can you tell me which of the three aforementioned clubs can offer Lingard that from the get-go? Can you tell me which of the Italian, French, or English leagues can fit Lingard’s game best? Which one of those competitions would be the easiest one for him to adapt to in order to show Gareth Southgate what he still has to offer and how he could help the Three Lions in Qatar?

It’s a no-contest victory for Newcastle, this one.

There won’t be any money issues because the board has the resources and there will be no transfer fee attached to signing Lingard come June 30. The attacker seems to be willing to accept the role Newcastle would probably offer (borderline starter if more reinforcements arrive; day-one and weekly starter if there is not a tremendous upgrade all across the squad). The fans know Lingard’s ability and the man just lit the Premier League on fire with West Ham only a few months ago in his best campaign ever.

It feels like Lingard could be really close to becoming a Magpie, and after the arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes in January, turn into the third post-takeover building block of the Reborn Toon.

Let’s go get him!