Newcastle United have agreed a deal with Sparta Prague to sign goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported in their live transfer blog on Wednesday [08:33am] that Dubravka, 29, is due to jet into Tyneside after an offer was accepted by the Czech First League giants.
It is understood that the Slovakia international is scheduled to undergo a medical on Wednesday afternoon once he has arrived in England and to wrap up the final details of his switch.
Dubravka’s imminent move to St James’ Park is a major breakthrough for manager Rafa Benitez, who has widely reported to have been in the hunt for a new goalkeeper ever since Newcastle were promoted to the Premier League last year.
Good move for Newcastle?
There are definitely some doubts about Dubravka. No one had really heard of him before the Magpies were linked with making a move this month, but that does not mean he is a bad player. Benitez and his team of scouts will have done their homework and Mike Ashley must be convinced in order for him to fund a swoop. The problem is that Dubravka is an experienced player who is unlikely to get better and he has never really played against top players in his career. The finishing qualities of players like Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero or Romelu Lukaku may come as a big shock to the Slovak.
This is Futbol rating 4/10
Likely to happen?
It seems that Newcastle are now very close to finally signing a goalkeeper after Benitez’s initial search in the summer failed to reach a positive conclusion. Dubravka should get to England with plenty of time to finalise his move to the Magpies, so it seems that Benitez is finally going to find a new number one.
This is Futbol rating 9/10