Newcastle offer contract rebel Matty Longstaff £20k a week – 24 times his current deal – to snub Udinese transfer

NEWCASTLE have offered contract rebel Matty Longstaff a new £20,000-a-week deal - 24 times his current pay - to snub Udinese, according to reports.

The Italian side have offered the Toon midfielder, 20, a £30,000 a week deal - a monster leap from his current £850 weekly pay packet.

But Newcastle are hoping to keep the boyhood Geordie at St James' Park by offering £10,000 per week less than Udinese.

Toon chiefs had been offering the younger of the two Longstaff brothers around £15,000 a week as they looked to tie him down for five more years.

But Serie A side Udinese are said to have made an audacious effort to land the midfielder this summer - also offering a five-year deal.

are now claiming Newcastle are willing to offer him "more than £20,000 a week" in a bid to tempt him into staying in the North-East of England.

WATFORD VIA ITALY?

The report claims Longstaff has been advised by former Great Britain hockey star dad, David Longstaff, to reject the deal and move to Italy.

However, Longstaff could be back in England as early as January 2021, with Watford keen on the midfielder.

The Hornets are also affiliated with Udinese - both owned by the Pozzo family.

The long-winded deal could be put in place to allow Watford to pay a lower compensation sum.

Should Newcastle fail to tie Longstaff down to a new contract, Udinese will be able to sign the hot prospect for just £400,000 in compensation.

Longstaff burst onto the scene in October when he scored the winner against Manchester United on his league debut in front of the Gallowgate End.

And fans would surely be furious if their club allowed him to leave the club so cheaply.

Longstaff recently showed off his generous side, as he volunteered to donate 30 per cent of his £850-a-week pay to the NHS to help tackle coronavirus.