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Report: ‘Extraordinary’ player likely to sign for Newcastle United when his contract ends

Photo by Antonietta Baldassarre/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images
Photo by Antonietta Baldassarre/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images
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Newcastle United continue to be linked with Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha ahead of a possible move to sign him in 2022.

The January transfer window is just around the corner and many expect Newcastle to be busy.

New rich owners ahead of a transfer window? It’s every Football Manager player’s dream come true.

Now, you may wonder whether a goalkeeper is really what Newcastle should be focusing on.

They have four senior goalkeepers already – Karl Darlow, Martin Dubravka, Freddie Woodman and Mark Gillespie.

Yet Italian newspaper Il Messaggero claim that Lazio goalkeeper Strakosha is ‘probably’ signing for Newcastle in 2022.

They state that Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri will likely wait until June to sign a new goalkeeper – because that’s when Strakosha is likely to join Newcastle.

Pepe Reina has been given the nod over Strakosha in the Lazio side. Lazio ultimately know that Strakosha’s contract ends next summer, so there is little gained from playing him right now.

That lines up with The Sun’s report earlier this month. They claimed that Newcastle want to give Strakosha a pre-contract agreement and then possibly sign him immediately on the cheap.

Thomas Strakosha of SS Lazio gestures during the TIM Cup match between AC Milan and SS Lazio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 24, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)

The Times added last week that Newcastle fancy landing Strakosha in January.

It seems that Lazio expect Strakosha to be a Newcastle player at some point in 2022. Just when they will be may depend on how desperate Eddie Howe is for a new shot-stopper.

Strakosha, branded ‘extraordinary’ for his athleticism by ex-Lazio coach Alberto Bollini, was born in Greece but plays for Albania.

The 26-year-old has played almost 200 times for Lazio but may soon be swapping Rome for Tyneside.

Thomas Strakosha of SS Lazio reacts during the TIM Cup match between SS Lazio and AC Milan at Olimpico Stadium on February 28, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Marco Rosi/Getty Images)