UEFA ruling could hamper Leeds United's midfield transfer hope as 4-man quota emerges

Leeds United’s hope of a summer move for Sean Longstaff could be dented by UEFA regulations relating to Newcastle United’s 2025/26 Champions League campaign.

Longstaff has been regularly touted as a prospective transfer target for Leeds, who appear to have made midfield reinforcements a priority following their £22million bid for RC Strasbourg captain Habib Diarra. The YEP understands that other midfield targets are seen as possibly more attainable than the Senegal international, which could turn focus elsewhere.

With one year left on his Newcastle contract and in need of regular football that is not forthcoming at St James’ Park, Longstaff might be expected to move on this summer, with reports suggesting he could cost somewhere between £10-15m. Given he is an academy graduate, that fee would also represent pure profit from a PSR perspective ahead of another big summer in the north east.

But that academy graduate status might also prove a stumbling block, with Newcastle needing to meet homegrown quotas for next season’s Champions League. As per UEFA rules, the Magpies must have at least four ‘club trained’ players in their 25-man squad for the competitions

UEFA’s official ruling on the matter states: “As a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among those eight places. If a club have fewer than eight locally trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly.”

Watch ‘Leeds United: We Are Premier League’ in full now including exclusive interviews with YEP football writers Graham Smyth and Joe Donnohue

Association trained players refer to anyone who spent three full seasons on the books of a domestic rival - on this occasion any English team - for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21. Newcastle will have no issue fulfilling that quota but as stated above, only four of the eight spots can be association trained, leaving four gaps for club trained players.

How could UEFA ruling affect Leeds United’s Sean Longstaff hunt?

UEFA’s ruling adds: “Club-trained players who were on a club's books for three entire seasons (i.e. the period between the first and last official match of the relevant national championship) or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21.”

Simply put, Newcastle must have a minimum of four players who spent three years on their own books between the ages of 15 and 21, with any fewer leading to a reduction in their 25-man squad. And at present, Longstaff is the only current squad member to meet that criteria.

Should Longstaff leave, then as things stand Newcastle would only be able to submit a main Champions League squad list of 21, albeit that can be topped up by academy graduates who are under 21-years-old. And so while it could present an issue, it does not completely rule out an exit for the Magpies midfielder.

Longstaff himself has not ruled out a summer move and speaking back in April, Howe did little to quell speculation. He said: “His long term future is slightly more unclear. But what I can say is that behind the scenes, Sean has been very good, helping the group, training to a high level and I cannot speak highly enough of him as a player."