Newcastle United uncertainty as contract offer to former Liverpool man falls silent

Newcastle United are yet to confirm if Loris Karius and Paul Dummett are extending their stay at St James’ Park.

The Magpies published its retained list ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League season on June 14 and confirmed the aforementioned players had been offered new deals.

However, the club are yet to provide an update. And now June 30 has passed, the pair are technically free agents. While Dummett is expected to extend his stay at his boyhood club, there is uncertainty surrounding Karius’s future.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper, who joined as a free agent in September last year, has made just one appearance for the Magpies - and that was the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United in February.

Karius rarely featured in United’s matchday squad last season and was allowed time to travel back to Italy to be with his pregnant girlfriend Diletta Leotta, who is a high-profile TV presenter with DAZN.

The 29-year-old has attracted interest from Italian clubs, and Leotta admitted herself she’d like her partner to be closer to home.

“Would I like (Karius to be) closer? Selfishly yes,” Leotta told Gazzetta dello Sport. “But, at the same time, I wish him the best for his career.

“I don’t deny that it would be nice to see him play near me. Perhaps around Milan, or in Lombardy or in Liguria. In short, we can move throughout Northern Italy, but also to the centre or the south. It would be much more comfortable than in Newcastle.”

That said, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has made it clear he’d like Karius to continue his career on Tyneside.

“I think he’s been a very calming influence,” Howe said previously. “He’s a goalkeeper with a lot of experience. He’s trained well and is a very good character and very popular in the changing room - the lads have really taken to him.

“He hadn’t trained a lot when he entered the club. We were in a difficult situation after the injury to Karl (Darlow) and as I say, he was a calming influence. He brought stability behind the scenes.

“Steadily, with the amount of goalkeeping he’s done now, he’s improving all the time.”