(Credit: Breaking Media)

Jacob Raw

Fri 29 May 2026 13:10, UK

Sean Longstaff’s future looks uncertain as Leeds United emerge as a potential buyer for Philadelphia Union star Jovan Lukic.

The Whites are going to have to be smart and strategic this summer, a explained by chairman Paraag Marathe, which means they will not be able to spend too much.

This could see Daniel Farke welcome just a handful of new players at Elland Road, but the idea will be to buy players for a reasonable price who have Premier League potential.

The Whites brought Longstaff to Elland Road last summer, paying an eight-figure fee of around £12million to Newcastle for his services.

Now, Leeds’ interest in Lukic may not be good for the former Magpie, who may have been on the sell list at Elland Road.

This is why Sean Longstaff could leave

Leeds have competition with Celta Vigo for Lukic, who has been impressing in the MLS with Philadelphia.

The 24-year-old is an up-and-coming talent, and his performances in 2025 alone are deserving of a Premier League move.

Longstaff featured on the bench for the final 10 games of the matches that he was available for all competitions to close the season.

He didn’t make an appearance in all of them, though, often coming off the bench for some minutes in stoppage time, as his last start came in the FA Cup win over Norwich City back at the start of March.

The 28-year-old’s last time named in the starting eleven of a Premier League game was in the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in November.

The worrying part for Longstaff is that Lukic is a box-to-box midfielder like himself, which could push him even further down Farke’s pecking order.

Leeds are looking to offload some of their more sellable assets this summer, and if they can bag £10m for Longstaff, that could be key in progressing the team.

Ao Tanaka’s latest admission doesn’t help Longstaff

Let’s assume that Leeds’ midfield options include Anton Stach, Brenden Aaronson, Ilia Gruev, Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, a new signing, and Longstaff for next season.

This really isn’t a good look for Longstaff, especially considering Farke has already hinted that he wants to revert to a two-man midfield.

Leeds’ potential midfield options:

• Longtsaff
• Ampadu
• Tanaka
• Aaronson
• Gruev
• Lukic*

Tanaka recently came out and said that he thought about leaving Elland Road in the winter window, but has had a change of thought and wants to stay.

That’s essentially another confirmed piece of information that Longstaff will be fighting a losing battle next season, even without someone else coming in to add more depth and options.