Newcastle have reportedly made a fresh bid to keep hold of Matty Longstaff by matching the offer he received from Udinese.
Last week, Newcastle announced Longstaff had signed a short-term extension to his contract which was due to expire at the end of the month.
With the 20-year-old coming to the end of his deal, his representatives received interest from Serie A side Udinese, who offered him a £30,000-a-week contract.
Newcastle are understood to have countered with an offer of their own which was lower than the Italian club.
Longstaff’s preference is to stay at St James Park and it now appears an agreement with Newcastle is close.
JUST IN: Could Roger Federer follow his idol Michael Jordan and turn 2021 into his own ‘Last Dance’
According to TuttoUdinese, Udinese have dropped their interest in Longstaff because Newcastle have matched the off they made.
The report claims, Udinese are now turning their attention to AC Milan’s Tommaso Pobega, who is currently on loan Serie B side Pordenone.
Speaking before Newcastle’s defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, where Longstaff came on as a substitute, Bruce said the situation was out of their hands.
“The ball is in Matty’s hands,” said Newcastle head coach Bruce.
“I’ve gone public with it; I think we’ve made him a wonderful offer and for me it should be his way forward in his career.
LATEST LIVE SPORT TV DEALS
Get Sky Sports for just £25 per month for 3 months
Get BT Sport for HALF PRICE
Meanwhile, Newcastle have agreed to sign goalkeeper Mark Gillespie, will become a free agent this summer.
Gillespie left Newcastle as a 16-year-old after coming through the academy but has now opted to rejoin the club following two years at Motherwell.
“The deal has been signed in the last 24 hours,” Bruce confirmed. “We are delighted to have him onboard.
“It just goes to show, he went away as a youngster and played games, now we welcome him back.”
This article contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission on any sales of products or services we write about. This article was written completely independently, see more details here