Newcastle journalist: Magpies have now 'made their first move' to sign £18m-rated star for free

Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘made their first move’ to sign Jesse Lingard in the summer.

Lingard is out of contract in the summer, with no plans of renewal from both him or Manchester United after a January full of speculation which saw him linked with the likes of Newcastle and West Ham.

Currently rated at £18m by Transfermarkt, whoever now manages to win the race and snap him up as a free agent would be saving themselves a lot of money.

Taking to Twitter, Magpies journalist Scott Wilson has revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful have now ‘made their first move’ with regards to signing up Lingard this summer:

If they could bring Lingard to the North East on a free, it is surely a no-brainer for the Tynesiders.

The 29-year-old may not have had much game time at Old Trafford this season, but he certainly showed his credentials while on loan with David Moyes at West Ham United last term.

Winning plaudits everywhere, Lingard scored a very impressive nine goals and made a further five assists from midfield in 16 games in the Premier League (Transfermarkt), despite only joining in the January transfer window.

Not all of the Toon’s signings have to be expensive ones this summer, and signing up Lingard as a free agent would certainly seem like a smart move to help build up Eddie Howe’s squad for the next campaign.

In other news, find out what ‘incredible’ NUFC update has now emerged here!

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