If reports are correct, it would seem that captain Bruno Guimaraes will also be following them out of the St. James' Park exit door soon, as Arsenal appear to be close to the Brazilian's signature.
Man Utd's priority is to sign a new left-back
It couldn't really get much worse for the club, though supporters are bound to be smarting with the news that Lewis Hall could well be another player who moves on before the end of the current transfer window.
Man Utd's priority this summer has apparently been to secure a new left-back, and Hall ticks all of the right boxes for the Red Devils.
Although a handful of Magpies players over the past three seasons have a slightly higher tackle success than the dogged 21-year-old's 65.03%, most have attempted significantly fewer than 100, whereas Hall has attempted 183, the third most in the Newcastle squad after Guimaraes (291) and Dan Burn (189).
Noticeably, Hall also played much, much less than his two colleagues, totalling 6,880 minutes since 2023/24 to now, whereas Guimaraes saw 11,527 minutes of action, and Burn was called upon for 10,866 minutes.
Check out Flashscore's exclusive story about Man United's interest in Hall.
Fearless
174 clearances, 84 interceptions and the winning back of possession on 426 separate occasions were all in the top tier when set against his teammates.
His fearlessness with regard to his defensive duties, allied to his ability to get forward, has made him a real crowd favourite, and it's easy to understand why when you also factor in other elements of his game.
An 84.17% pass completion in all competitions over the last three campaigns was one of the best in the squad, as were his 89 chances created.
With 806 one-on-one duels attempted, only four other players (Gordon, Guimaraes, Burn and Joelinton) surpassed Hall's total, with the youngster's 54.71% success a better return than three of them provided.
Crossing ability must improve
Given his stature, aerial duels were never going to be his forte, but Hall still managed to win 76 from 169 attempted.
The area that he definitely needs to work on the most, and is certainly something that Man Utd would want to see a marked improvement in, is his crossing ability.
It's all very well and good being able to bomb forward at pace, but if you're only able to successfully deliver 29 crosses from 156 attempted (18.59%), then that needs to be urgently addressed.
Furthermore, whilst attacking duties haven't been Hall's primary concern, he's unlikely to be too happy with scoring just three goals and providing six assists in three years.
Red Devils can offer Champions League football
Perhaps in light of the multiple exits that have occurred this summer at the club, and with Alexander Isak also jumping ship 12 months ago, it's believed that Hall has indicated he, too, wouldn't be averse to trying his luck somewhere else.
With the Red Devils back in the Champions League, they can certainly do with their squad being bolstered, and even at a reported £60m, Hall would represent good value if his career trajectory continues along the same path.
Such a switch would be another nail in the coffin for Newcastle's own aspirations, and one can only speculate at this stage as to just how well the squad are going to cope after losing two (and possibly three if Guimaraes goes) of their most prolific strikers.
That shouldn't be Hall's concern, or anyone else's, other than the management of the club and first team, and the feeling of Newcastle being a 'sinking ship' at present doesn't appear to be inaccurate.
It therefore stands to reason that players will be concerned with the direction that the club appears to be taking, and to that end, it would be remiss of them not to at least consider other possibilities.
Quite what new incoming manager Matthias Jaissle will think about his major stars upping sticks is anyone's guess, and that is the background to why Howe felt he could no longer lead this squad to the glory that the owners demand.
If Hall is to leave, he becomes one of a handful of players who believe that success will be easier to come by elsewhere, and that doesn't really bode well for Newcastle in 2026/27.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
