10 September 2026

Manchester United were unable to capitalise on the departures at Newcastle United during the summer window.

Eddie Howe and key figures Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimarães all left St James’ Park in the summer. It was also widely reported that Lewis Hall was open to leaving Newcastle amid interest from United, who were keen to sign a left-back.

However, United moved too late for Hall and, by the time they made their approach to Newcastle, the Magpies had no intention of considering the possibility of yet another major exit.

United had done something similar in 2022 when they tabled an offer for Antony late in August. By then, Ajax had already sold several players and, as a result, forced the Red Devils to pay €95 million for a relatively inexperienced winger.

INEOS were more measured than the previous regime, but they still missed out on one of their priority targets.

Lewis Hall is now expected to sign a new long-term contract with Newcastle United after an encouraging start under new manager Matthias Jaissle.

It has been suggested that Hall’s new deal will not contain a release clause, which would make it extremely difficult for interested clubs to land him next summer or even later than that.

That has naturally led to fresh doubts over United’s chase, especially after The Athletic reported earlier this month that the Red Devils did not pursue another high-profile left-back in order to keep the route open for Hall in the future.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has offered further clarity on the situation and on Manchester United’s interest in the Newcastle speedster.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said the message coming from Newcastle is that there will be no release clause for United, before indicating that this development may not do much to stop the Mancunians from trying again in the near future.

“Then if you ask me, ‘Do you expect Man United to return for Lewis Hall in summer 2027?’ I think it’s a serious possibility because Man United love the player,” Romano stated.

“Man United already wanted him strongly a few weeks ago and so to see Man United returning for Lewis Hall is realistic but at the same time Newcastle get a new deal done.”

Given Hall’s decision to extend his contract at Newcastle and INEOS’s reluctance to pay over the odds for their preferred targets, it may be best for Jason Wilcox to move on and assess alternative options before the next transfer window.

The Peoples Person Reliability Assessment Overall credibility: 7/10 Why?

✅ Lewis Hall is widely believed to be United’s priority target ✅ The player suits United’s tactical profile ⚠️ Newcastle are in complete control of the situation