Jermaine Jenas has backed Lewis Hall to join Manchester United, and Fabrizio Romano says the club already have him internally approved. The obstacle is Newcastle, who do not want to sell and are expected to demand around £60 million. Hall featured 46 times for Newcastle last season and has four England caps, so this is not a speculative link to a fringe player.

Jenas and Romano both see the appeal

Jenas did not hide his view. Speaking to football365.com, he said: "I think it's a great move for him, I really do. He's had a fantastic couple of years at Newcastle. For a club like Manchester United to come in for him is a huge step in the right direction—not only for United, because he's just consistent week-in, week-out, but it's also a big loss for Newcastle, I'm not going to lie. For him and his personal career, it's a great move."

Romano’s read is similar on United’s side. He said: "Man Utd really appreciate Lewis Hall and Man Utd consider Lewis Hall as an ideal player they would like to add to their squad. So, Lewis Hall is on the Manchester United list, for sure, and he's a player internally approved at Manchester United."

That is the easy part of the story. The hard part is Newcastle’s position. Romano was blunt there too: "Newcastle don't want to sell Lewis Hall. Newcastle already made big money this summer from Tonali, Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes."

Newcastle's price and Hall's recent workload

Andy Mitten added another layer of difficulty, saying: "They like Lewis Hall of Newcastle United, but Newcastle United will want a lot of money for him, so this isn't straightforward where, like, you just tick him, buy him."

Hall’s recent usage helps explain why United are interested. He averaged 71.6 minutes across his last five Newcastle league appearances, completed 90+ minutes in four of those games, and posted a 6.3 average rating in that spell. He also reached at least a 7.0 rating twice in those five matches.

Those are the numbers of a player already trusted to play real minutes, not a project signing waiting to be developed. Newcastle’s reported £60 million demand reflects that, even if the club’s refusal to sell remains the bigger obstacle for now.

Hall’s Newcastle contract still has three years left on it, and that gives the club more room to resist. For United, the interest is clearly there. Turning it into a deal looks much harder, and Newcastle’s stance is the main reason why.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →