Newcastle United favourite available on free transfer as club statement released
Newcastle United favourite Martin Dubravka is available on a free transfer this summer following his release from Burnley.
Burnley have confirmed the release of former Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka following their relegation from the Premier League.
Dubravka joined Burnley from Newcastle last summer and went to make 35 Premier League appearances for the club as they finished 20th in the table and were relegated back to the Championship.
The 37-year-old agreed a one-year deal at Turf Moor last summer which expires on June 30. After then, he will be free to join a new club.
Martin Dubravka released
This week, Burnley confirmed its retained list and released a statement confirming Dubravka’s departure along with fellow goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The statement read: “Burnley Football Club’s retained list has now been submitted, confirming the contract extension of Josh Laurent and departures of Martin Dúbravka & Vaclav Hladký.
“Laurent, who joined the Club in the summer of 2024, had the option in his contract to remain at Turf Moor taken earlier this year.
“Meanwhile, goalkeeping duo Dúbravka and Hladký will both depart the Clarets upon expiry of their contracts on 30th June.”
Martin Dubravka at NUFC
Dubravka spent seven-and-a-half years at Newcastle between 2018 and 2025, making 179 appearances for the club.
Despite leaving the club last year, the goalkeeper retains a strong connection to Newcastle and the city.
"I can call Newcastle my second home," Dubravka told Sky Sports. "I found beautiful people there, so many friends. I was there when we fought for relegation, then I was there when we went through the transition.
"I was also there when we competed with the top teams, bringing the trophy after so many years back to Newcastle. So I'm glad that they are going in the right direction.
"It's a sleeping giant, and now, finally, it's the right time for them to shine again. I will always have a great memory about the whole city, the whole club.
"It was not easy to leave because, once you're there, you feel a connection, a bond with the fans, with the whole club, with the people around the club as well."
But the slightly awkward nature of Dubravka’s departure at Newcastle, paired with the fact he left the club to pursue regular first-team football means a return is unlikely.
Dubravka had a transfer lined-up to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab in January 2025 only for Newcastle to pull the plug on the deal at the last minute as he was playing regularly. The goalkeeper ended up signing an improve deal at Newcastle as a compromise but was dropped from the side shortly afterwards.
“Eddie called me and said, ‘No, we can’t let you go now because we need you and we’re going to offer you a new contract,’” Dubravka told The Times. “I was mentally already in Saudi Arabia. Our home in Newcastle was empty.
“I came back on Friday and played against Bromley [in the FA cup third round] the next day. After the game I spoke with the club and they offered me a new contract. You cannot compare the contract in Saudi financially with the one in Newcastle, but for me it was always Newcastle first and I was delighted to stay.
“Everything was smooth and we signed the deal. It was official on the Thursday, and then on the Saturday Eddie dropped me! I didn’t expect that because I just signed a new deal with Newcastle instead of one which would completely secure my life in Saudi Arabia. I was shocked. We had a conversation after the game, and it was not a nice conversation.”
Dubravka will now weigh up his next move as a free agent this summer as several clubs, including Newcastle, look to bolster their goalkeeping options.