As The Pitch Prospect has learned, Celtic target Martin Dubravka has been told he can leave Newcastle.
The Scottish champions have their eye on Dubravka as the successor to the outgoing Joe Hart.
3
Newcastle will not stand in the way of the 35-year-old completing a deal with Burnley for James Trafford, valued at £20 million.
Trafford, who is currently in Germany with the English 2024 Euro team, has already given the green light to the move to St. James Park.
The Slovakian was a regular for Newcastle in the second half of the season after the club’s first-choice Nick Pope was injured.
With Pope fully fit again and expected to resume his No.1 role next season, a move to Trafford would mean Dubravka would slip further down the pecking order at St. James’ Park.
But Celtic may have to fight hard for the goalkeeper, as clubs from Saudi Arabia have also expressed interest.
Dubravka is currently preparing for the 2024 European Championship, where he is expected to be Slovakia’s first-choice goalkeeper.
He has won 43 caps for his country and started all but one of Slovakia’s 2024 European Championship qualifying matches.
Dubravka moved to Newcastle from Czech club Sparta Prague in 2018 for a transfer fee of around £3.8 million.
He played 163 games for the Magpies and kept a clean sheet 46 times.
The Slovakian made a brief stop at Manchester United last season as a replacement for David de Gea after Newcastle signed Pope.
3
3
He only made two appearances for the Red Devils and had to sit out last season’s Carabao Cup final against parent club Newcastle, despite having played in earlier rounds.