Which Newcastle United players are out of contract this summer? Current status on Loris Karius and four more

Newcastle United may well be fully focused on Sunday’s Carabao Cup final with Manchester United, but work is always ongoing to implement summer plans.

Given the wealth of the club’s current owners, much of the speculation surrounds incoming transfers at St James’ Park, but Eddie Howe and the club’s staff must also consider whether to give new contracts to players who are due to leave the club this summer. There are five senior players who fall under that category this summer, including one player who will be starting at Wembley Stadium this weekend.

With that in mind, we have taken a look at the five players who are out of contract this summer.

Loris Karius

Karius will get his big opportunity to show Newcastle what he can do in the Carabao Cup final this weekend, certain to start due to Nick Pope’s suspension.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper is out of contract this summer, and he is currently third choice under Howe, but this weekend’s clash could be a huge opportunity for him to not only prove himself to Newcastle, but to put himself on the market as he looks to land a starting job.

Karius hasn’t made a single appearance so far this season, and now 29 years of age, he will surely want to play somewhere where he can play regular football. That’s not likely to be at St James’ Park given Pope’s stature.

Mark Gillespie

Gillespie is also out of contract this summer, but he seems content to be third-choice at St James’ Park. Newcastle are going to need a third-choice goalkeeper, and they may opt to keep Gillespie around with a short-term deal.

The 30-year-old could yet opt to leave to ensure he gets football somewhere else, but there will be something tempting about sticking around given Newcastle’s current trajectory. It will be interesting to see which one of the two out-of-contract goalkeepers stick around, if either.

Matt Ritchie

Ritchie is now 33 years of age, and he has only managed five appearances across all competitions this season.

It looks likely the winger will be offloaded after seven years at the club, with no contract extension likely. Ritchie has been a loyal servant for the club, but Howe is unlikely to carry any excess in his squad as he continues to strengthen and strive towards silverware. The Scot is likely to be a victim of that, though he will surely find a good future opportunity, especially given he will be available on a free transfer.

Paul Dummett

Dummett falls into a similar situation. He is now 31 years of age, and he has managed just one appearance across all competitions so far this season.

The defender is a one-club man if you don’t include loan spells, and while the homegrown player rule might help him stick around as a squad player if he wants to, it’s more likely he will be offloaded given his age and lack of involvement. Dummett have plenty of options option to him, having racked up well over 200 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions.

Matty Longstaff

Longstaff’s situation is a little different, given he is still only 22 years of age.

The midfielder would have liked to have proven himself on a loan spell with Colchester United this season, but his spell was cut short due to a knee injury. He is now working towards a recovery, and it’s not clear what his future holds, given his contract is up at the end of the season.

Longstaff is always going to be compared to his older brother, and Newcastle will likely have wanted to see him progress a little more than he has managed up to this point. It’s also true that the midfielder’s injury record has been far from ideal over recent times, with three injuries this season alone, while he missed a month of action last season.

This one will come down to whether Newcastle believe Longstaff has a big future, or whether they believe his potential level is not significantly above his current level.