Newcastle United close to confirming senior exit as Celtic & Leeds target undergoes medical

Ryan Fraser is undergoing a medical at Southampton ahead of his season-long loan move from Newcastle United.

Magpies head coach Eddie Howe confirmed during his pre-Liverpool press conference on Friday morning that Fraser was in talks over a switch to the Championship club. And discussions have quickly progressed with the Scotland international currently on the South Coast finalising his temporary switch.

Fraser, although under contract until 2025, has played his last game for Newcastle after falling out with Howe earlier this year. He last featured in October 202 after being frozen out of the first-team picture.

The 29-year-old spent the second half of last season training with the under-21s. There was no reprieve at the start of this term with Fraser left out of Howe’s plans, resulting in him missing the whole of pre-season and the opening Premier League matches against Aston Villa and Manchester City.

Fraser, who earns a reported £70,000-a-week was also stripped of his No.21 squad number this summer before it was taken by Tino Livramento following his £30million move from Southampton.

When Howe landed the Magpies job in November 2021, the 45-year-old was forced to confirm there was no bad blood between him and the player. Fraser opted not to sign a contract extension allowing him to play for Bournemouth when the Premier League restarted following the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the winger was one of Howe’s regular picks in 21-22 as he guided Newcastle to Premier League safety. Last season though, Fraser played just eight times. In total, he made 59 appearances for United, including three goals and six assists.

Fraser has reportedly attracted interest from Leeds United and Celtic but it is Southampton where he will look to rebuild his reputation.