Newcastle United are all but certain to sign Martin Dubravka from Sparta Prague after an excellent debut season in the Premier League.
Time will tell whether Mike Ashley is willing to reward Rafa Benitez for a superb return to the Premier League with the funds required to take Newcastle United to the next level this summer.
A number of names are understood to be on Newcastle’s radar, club-record bids for the likes of Joe Allen and Karl Toko Ekambi having already been mentioned. But one player that Benitez is keen to sign this summer is the Sparta Prague loanee Martin Dubravka – a deal Rafa seems very confident of completing.
“With Martin’s deal, it is the easiest transfer to complete because we have the option to buy in his deal,” Benitez told The Chronicle of the goalkeeper, who arrived in January and can be signed permanently for a bargain £5.2 million.
“It’s an easy decision, because it depends on us. We know he’s a good keeper and we know how important he is for our team.”
Newcastle are understood to have an option to sign Dubravka this summer.
However, they do not have the same privilege when it comes to Kenedy, the Chelsea-owned wideman who arrived alongside Dubravka in the winter and has had a major impact as The Magpies secured their Premier League status.
The Chronicle claims that Newcastle would be keen to sign Kenedy on a season-long loan should Chelsea’s £20 million asking price prove too much.
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