Shock transfer announced as former Newcastle United talent joins Liverpool

Whether it’s the Reds expressing interest in Alexander Isak, or Eddie Howe reportedly admiring Harvey Elliot, there’s seemingly no end in sight to the numerous transfer reports and rumours both clubs are involved in.

And now Arne Slot’s men could be set to add a former Toon talent to their ranks this summer – but not one many people will have been expecting.

It also puts Newcastle in an interesting position over the next few weeks of the transfer window, as the club may now be forced to consider a move for a different ‘essential’ player.

Former Newcastle United and current Preston North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman is on his way to Liverpool.

A club statement on Friday night revealed the surprise news, with a free transfer set to go through when his Preston contract expires.

According to The Times’ Paul Joyce, Woodman is expected to provide cover for Allison and Anfield newcomer Giorgi Mamardashvili, due to be their other keepers each expected to depart on loan.

It’s not the first Premier League club to shown some interest in the 28-year-old, as Manchester United were linked with a move for Woodman before they committed to keeping Tom Heaton as their ‘third’ goalkeeper.

Coming through our youth system, Woodman only made four Premier League appearances for us, and nine in total across all competitions.

Unfortunately, he’ll perhaps be remembered for a torrid afternoon between the sticks at Old Trafford, as some errors, coupled with a Cristiano Ronaldo brace on his return to the league, saw us lose 4-1 on the road.

Whilst he’s unlikely to earn any minutes for Liverpool, Joyce highlights just how important Woodman’s move is to the side.

“Woodman meets the criteria for an Association Trained player and does not need to take one of Liverpool’s 17 non homegrown slots on the UEFA squad list.”

Woodman had been discussed, alongside Tim Krul and Fraser Forster, as potentially being brought in this summer to St James’ Park in order to help us meet UEFA’s homegrown quota ourselves..

If we are in the market for such a player, the chances of us signing Krul or Forster just increased, and may potentially facilitate the departure of an existing shot stopper like Odysseas Vlachodimos or Martin Dubravka.