Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has insisted that he has no interest in selling Sean Longstaff - despite contact from Manchester United this summer.
Longstaff is still on the contract of a squad player with Newcastle and the Red Devils will be able to offer him a huge pay rise.
It is believed that Man United will return for Longstaff in this window and put in an improved offer of more than £30million.
But, in a wide ranging interview with the Daily Mail, Ashley said: "The message we want to put out is that he is not for sale.
"If you’ve got one like Sean – keep him."
However, United supporters will be cautious about Ashley's words after hearing similar claims just before local lad Andy Carroll was flogged to Liverpool for £35million.
Whether Ashley will be able to resist an astronomical offer for the central midfielder remains to be seen.
Longstaff's progress has been remarkable at Newcastle and it wasn't too long ago that United thought twice about retaining his services.
Just 12 months ago he was poised to go out on loan to League One Portsmouth.
But Rafa Benitez told him he had to stay on and be part of the squad - a move that paid dividends for Longstaff.
In the last few days, Newcastle have cranked up their message that they want Longstaff to stay and used him to model the new kit alongside star signings Miguel Almiron and Joelinton.
However, they are yet to talk about offering him an improved deal despite his excellent progress last season.
