NEWCASTLE have opened talks with Southampton to sign Aaron Ramsdale.
The England goalkeeper, 27, is keen on a move back to the top flight following relegation after just one season with the Saints.
GettyNewcastle are in talks with Southampton over a move for goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale[/caption]
GettyJames Trafford is set to seal a return to Manchester City[/caption]
The Toon, who were beaten to the signing of James Trafford by Manchester City, are proposing a loan deal with an option to buy.
Saints are open to letting Ramsdale leave on loan with the prospect of either a significant fee next summer or the keeper returning should they be promoted.
The South Coast side will struggle to afford his £100,000-a-week wages in the Championship.
SunSport exclusively revealed back in January that Newcastle were tracking the former Arsenal star.
Toon looked into the possibility of signing him last summer but couldn’t agree on a fee with the Gunners.
Ramsdale played for Eddie Howe 37 times during his spell at Bournemouth, where the Toon boss handed him his debut.
West Ham and Galatasaray have both already explored moves for Ramsdale this summer.
He moved to St. Mary’s from Arsenal in a £25million deal last summer and has a £20m relegation release clause.
Newcastle had agreed a fee for Trafford last week, but Man City triggered their matching £27million clause for their former youth player.
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But Howe has been left disappointed yet again in what has been a difficult transfer window so far – having already seen deals for Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo and Hugo Ekitike hijacked.
Now star striker Alexander Isak is looking to leave St James’ Park too.
There has long been speculation around the long-term future of Nick Pope, with some fans questioning if he is good enough to take Newcastle to the next level.
And although Ramsdale was part of a Southampton team which leaked goals before their Premier League relegation last season, he remains highly regarded.
Ramsdale made 32 appearances across all competitions last season, keeping three clean sheets, as the club finished bottom of the Prem, marking the third relegation from the top flight of his career.
He previously spent three years at Arsenal, playing every minute of every league game as Mikel Arteta’s side finished second behind Manchester City in 2022/2023, but lost the No1 spot to David Raya the following season.
Pope is Newcastle’s current first-choice goalkeeper, while the club also has Martin Dubravka, Odysseas Vlachodimos, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie on their books.
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