Fabian Schar has pulled a U-turn on his Newcastle United future and is now open to signing a new contract over leaving in a free summer transfer after his revival under Eddie Howe.
That’s according to The Athletic, who note Schar was set on leaving St James’ Park when his current deal ends. The centre-half will be a free agent from June, having only penned a 12-month extension last July under former boss Steve Bruce when his previous deal lapsed.
Newcastle held an option to extend Schar’s contract by a further year, but are yet to agree a long-term extension. So, the Swiss remains on the same £40k-a-week terms signed upon joining the Toon. They paid £3m to trigger his Deportivo La Coruna release clause in 2018.
Talks remain ongoing between Newcastle and Schar’s representatives over a potential new contract to keep the defender on Tyneside. The situation marks a vast change from before Howe’s arrival, with the 30-year-old confident his future would be away from the Magpies.
Schar was open to quitting the North East outfit in January or to wait for a free transfer this summer. He has attracted interest from clubs in France, Germany and Italy who admire his potential value. But United chiefs are increasingly confident they will settle on a new deal.
Schar open to Newcastle contract extension after revival under Howe
Schar is now receptive to signing a new contract over a free transfer away as Howe revived his Newcastle career. Club chiefs noted the defender was ‘disillusioned’ when Howe took over from Bruce in November. His body language had also become increasingly negative.
But Howe arranged a one-on-one meeting straight away and stressed how important he saw Schar being. He also told the Toon board during his interview that Schar would be a valuable part of his squad, having wanted to sign him while at Bournemouth back in 2017.
Schar has since made 13 of his 16 Premier League appearances from 26 games so far this season under Howe. The 69-cap defender – whom Rafa Benitez considered ‘quality’ – has so far only sat out one fixture against Manchester City since Howe’s debut in the dugout.
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