Newcastle United flop poised for shock Barcelona move - best football agent ever
Barcelona are reportedly weighing up a move for Newcastle United misfit Loris Karius.
Eddie Howe recruited the German on a short-term basis in 2022 as backup to Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka. In previous years, Karius was a highly-rated goalkeeper, establishing himself as Liverpool’s first-choice for European competition.
However, that infamous double-howler in the 2018 Champions League final gave Karius the yips and he struggled to rediscover his confidence. Newcastle took a punt on him two years ago as a cheap backup and someone with Premier League experience.
He astonishingly made his Toon debut in the Carabao Cup final due to Nick Pope’s suspension and Martin Dubravka being cup-tied. In fairness to Karius, he did not let the Magpies down despite the 2-0 scoreline.
Howe was forced to use the 31-year-old again in the 4-0 defeat to Arsenal last season. Pope was recovering from a long-term shoulder injury, with Dubravka taking the reins from December until May.
But for that one game, the Slovakian international came down with illness, handing Karius his first Premier League appearance in six years. He left Newcastle in the summer to pursue first-team football but, so far, has yet to find a club.
There were suggestions that Karius would find an Italian club so he could move closer to his model and TV presenter wife, Diletta Leotta. However, he may be tempted to shelve those plans given the latest transfer speculation.
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo claims Barcelona are tempted to sign the shot-stopper on a free transfer. The Catalan giants are reeling after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury at the weekend.
Inaka Pena played the remainder of their 5-1 win over Villarreal but Barca are understood to be eyeing an extra body. Former Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo spent two years at the Camp Nou and has offered to come out of retirement to save the day.