It seems Newcastle United are keen on signing a new goalkeeper.
With Nick Pope having missed much of the campaign with a shoulder injury said to have left Eddie Howe “crestfallen”, Martin Dubravka has had to step up for Newcastle.
The veteran goalkeeper, however, has not always impressed and will reportedly be allowed to leave St James’ Park this summer.
Pope hardly covered himself in glory during the penalty shootout win over Tottenham in the post-season friendly held in Australia on Wednesday, either.
Indeed, Aaron Ramsdale is one of the names linked with a move to Newcastle but it now appears as if they are ready to push ahead with another target.
In fact, they are believed to want to try and wrap up a deal reasonably imminently. It is said that they are pushing to sign a new goalkeeper before this summer’s European Championship, which begins in Germany on Friday, June 14.
Newcastle are now pushing to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili imminently
Giorgi Mamardashvili, who will represent Georgia at this summer’s finals, has been strongly linked with a move to the club.
The 23-year-old Valencia stopper is believed to have a release clause of £85m but, according to Joel Bland on X (formerly Twitter), Newcastle are pushing for an agreement – which may suggest they are not willing to go quite as high as that fee.
No formal offer has yet been made and there is plenty of competition expected.
iNews also claim that the club have had talks with Valencia and a deal could cost around £30m. Mamardashvili, for his part, is understood to be keen to make the move to the Premier League.
Giorgi Mamardashvili has already dropped a big hint about his future amid Newcastle interest
Mamardashvili has already suggested his future will be decided very quickly.
Howe is said to be a “big fan” of the stopper, who at 23 could be a long-term heir for Pope on Tyneside.
Interestingly, as per FBREF data, the two boast similar save percentages, with Mamardashvili slightly ahead. This season, the Valencia custodian has saved 73.8% of shots faced, while Pope has managed 72.4%.
Speaking to Geo-Team earlier this week, Mamardashvili dropped a hint about his future, saying: “My future will be clear very soon.
“Now I don’t think about anything else, because I have an important tournament ahead of me with the Georgia team. Valencia is my home. They gave me a football career.”
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