It seems all-but-officially confirmed that Newcastle United will be in the market for a new No.1 this summer.
Despite Aaron Ramsdale’s goalkeeping heroics in midweek, as well as Nick Pope’s vice-captaincy status within the club, a long-term solution and top young shot-stopper looks to be high on Howe’s wanted list.
In a market where the likes of Chelsea will also be in the mix for a new goalkeeper, it’ll be absolutely imperative that we move as quickly and efficiently as possible, unlike last summer.
On that note, a potential alternative to Bart Verbruggen has emerged this week, despite suggestions the Brighton stopper is our leading target.
The Mail’s Craig Hope reports that Newcastle will have to pay in excess of £40m to sign Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen this summer.
Any figure could be £10-15m more than the £27m deal we momentarily agreed for James Trafford last summer, meaning the Dutch number one or Man City number two won’t come cheap should we pursue either in the coming months.
On paper, it’s a justifiable transfer fee that Brighton will demand, as the 23-year-old has vast experience in the Premier League for his age, is good with the ball at his feet and looks set to start for the Netherlands at this summer’s World Cup.
However, every penny will matter in the summer, and there had been suggestions that we’d move away from paying Premier League premiums under Ross Wilson, which bring us on nicely to Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel.
In the same piece, Craig Hope reveals that we should be keeping a very close eye on Kobel in the summer, as we may finally make a move having watched the player over the last two years.
Discussing Kobel in his latest Q & A piece for The Mail, Hope said:
‘Another name to keep a very close eye on is Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. Newcastle have watched him for a couple of seasons now and, while he does not necessarily fit the profile of a younger keeper at 28 years old, there is an acceptance that needs must in a position which will be addressed this summer.
‘Switzerland No 1 Kobel has 19 international caps and Champions League experience, and would represent a relatively low-risk signing.
‘The 6ft 5in stopper has two years to run on his deal at Dortmund, for whom he has made 206 appearances in five seasons – including a pair of clean sheets against Newcastle in the Champions League group stage in 2023-24, when his side went all the way to the final.’
Even though the Swiss international is 28-years-old, which goes against the idea that we only want to bring in young stars into the backline like Hall, Livramento and Botman, he would be considerably cheaper and remains six years younger than Nick Pope.
At this stage, it’s also important to note that we aren’t expected to trigger the £20m buy clause in Ramsdale’s loan. But fans will wonder if that could change if the Southampton loanee puts in more performances like he did against Manchester United for the rest of the campaign.
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