Manchester United are “petrified” of letting Jesse Lingard leave and him proving a success elsewhere, according to those close to the midfielder.
Lingard's proposed loan move to Newcastle until the end of the season has effectively collapsed over United's insistence on a £12million survival payment if he helps the Toon stay up.
Premier League survival is worth around £100m to Newcastle and United feel they are justified in receiving a bonus payment if Lingard goes to St James' Park and helps them to avoid the drop.
Newcastle are unwilling to agree to the survival bonus, on top of a loan fee of £2.5m and payment of Lingard's £100,000-a-week wages in full, which has left the deal dead in the water.
Lingard and his representatives are furious with United for effectively pricing him out of a move to Newcastle, with the 29-year-old now facing the prospect of spending the rest of the season on the bench at Old Trafford.
England international Lingard has been at United for 21 years and feels he deserves better from his boyhood club, with those close to him angry at the way the Old Trafford hierarchy are treating him.
Sources close to Lingard – who is out of contract this summer - also suggested United's treatment of him had not gone down well with his team-mates, like Marcus Rashford, with the pair currently training together in Dubai during the mid-season break.
“United are petrified of Jesse going elsewhere, playing really well and showing them up,” said a source close to Lingard.
“They don't want a repeat of what happened at West Ham last season, where he almost helped get them into the Champions League with the goals he scored.
“Jesse's popular with the United players and they feel for him. The way the club are treating Jesse, given how long he's been at United, is sending out the wrong message to the rest of the squad.
“It says everything about the current state of United that Jesse wants to go to play for a club near the bottom of the Premier League, rather than stay where he is.”
United are unwilling to let Lingard - who was a hit on loan at West Ham last season, scoring nine goals - go to a top-four rival like the Hammes or Tottenham.
The Red Devils have also rebuffed approaches from other Premier League clubs, including Leicester, Everton and Aston Villa.
Despite results having picked under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, with United now up into fourth spot, there is still a core of disillusioned players who want to leave Old Trafford.
As well as Lingard, Paul Pogba is out of contract this summer and will join Real Madrid or PSG as a free agent, with Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani also able to leave for nothing.
England goalkeeper Dean Henderson wants to go out on loan having seen David De Gea reclaim his No.1 status, while Donny van de Beek and Eric Bailly both want to leave for fresh challenges, following Anthony Martial - who joined Sevilla on loan for the rest of the season - out of the door.
