Newcastle fans haven’t had much to celebrate this season, but one thing they can be pleased with is the emergence of Matty Longstaff.

Last term we saw his brother Scott break into the first-team and his impressive showings saw him linked with Manchester United in the summer.

The midfielder stunned St James’ Park on his debut by netting the winner against the Red Devils, and since then his impressive performances have seen him linked with a move to Milan.

The youngster’s contract is up at the end of the season, and there are concerns at the club that he won’t agree to an extension.

Chris Waugh had the latest on Longstaff’s contract situation.

What’s been said then?

The reporter was hosting a Q&A session on Friday, and one supporter asked what the hold up is with Longstaff’s contract.

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"I don't know the exact specifics in terms of what's been offered and what he wants but my understanding is that money is part of the issue, but not all of it," Waugh said.

"It has been suggested to me by one source that part of the issue is down to how much of his contract would be appearance-based and how much his base salary would be, with the club preferring the former to be higher and the latter lower, and the player vice-versa.

"It is concerning that clubs like Inter Milan are lurking, waiting to capitalise on the situation. I do think Matty Longstaff's preference is to stay and I do believe an agreement can still be reached but it's concerning that this has been allowed to drag on for this long."

Can’t mess this up

Newcastle can’t allow a player of Longstaff’s quality to leave for nothing.

The fact that a team of Inter Milan’s stature are interested in signing him tells you all you need to know about his talent.

Fortunately, Waugh says that he wants to stay, but it won’t be viable for him to do so if he’s not earning enough.

As much as Longstaff may want to stay, football is still his job, and if the financial incentives are that much greater away from St James’ Park he may have no choice but to take the opportunity to move away.

Mike Ashley and co need to make sure they're not too stingy when offering Longstaff improved terms.

In other news, Lee Ryder has predicted Newcastle’s summer transfer budget.