The question no one seems to be asking about Jesse Lingard and Newcastle

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Newcastle United seem like Jesse Lingard’s only chance at a January move.

The Magpies reportedly made a loan move for the Manchester United midfielder this week, but their offer was rejected.

Man United want to get rid of Lingard permanently, with his contract set to expire in the summer. Loaning him out would effectively see them lose him for absolutely nothing.

In contrast, Lingard doesn’t want to leave Old Trafford permanently this month. While he isn’t going to extend his contract beyond this season, he only wants to leave on loan in January.

So despite claims that he wants to join Newcastle and link up with his good friend Kieran Trippier, why is a deal proving to be so difficult? This all begs one important question about the 29-year-old’s desire to move to St James’ Park.

If Jesse Lingard really wants to join Newcastle, surely he’d sign permanently?

It was briefly claimed on Thursday that the Magpies were close to signing Lingard permanently. However, those claims were quickly revoked by the Telegraph, with it now being reported that he only wants to join Newcastle on loan.

That would allow him to become a free agent in the summer, and reassess his options as he reaches a pivotal point in his career.

That hardly screams ‘I want to play for Newcastle United’, does it?

The fact he wants to assess his options in the summer suggests Lingard thinks he can do better than the Magpies. That’s probably true, but if that’s the case why is he still warming the Man United bench?

There is obviously the threat of relegation at St James’ Park. But our position isn’t fatal. We can still escape this battle to avoid the drop and maintain our Premier League status.

Does Lingard not want to join permanently out of fear that he could end up with a relegation on his CV? That’s understandable to a certain extent, but we might not go down if players of his calibre come to the club.

Say he does join on loan and thrive like he did at West Ham, is he going to agree a deal to stay at Newcastle? He’ll certainly have put himself in the shop window, and could have the pick of multiple teams chasing his signature. Perhaps even a side in Europe…

Maybe a relegation release clause might satisfy the England international. However, that’s a luxury Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood weren’t afforded.

Going into the final week of the transfer window, this isn’t the last we’ve heard of the Lingard situation. Given the unique set of circumstances, there will likely be more twists and turns.

I’d love to see Lingard in a Newcastle United shirt – he’d be a fantastic signing. But the fact he only wants a loan move over a permanent deal certainly has alarm bells ringing early on.

But then again, can we afford to be picky given the circumstances?