Premier League bigwigs Newcastle United are reportedly weighing up a possible swoop of 26-year-old Turkish goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.
According to a report by Turkish outlet Sabah, as relayed by Sport Witness, Ugurcan Cakir is the subject of interest from Newcastle United over a possible move in a transfer window in 2023. The Magpies are closely monitoring the 26-year-old goalkeeper and might soon present an offer to sign him.
Ugurcan Cakir spent his formative years at four Turkish clubs, starting at Cekmekoyspor before finishing his footballing education at Trabzonspor. But the shot-stopper took some time to find a stable footing at the Akyazi Stadium as he was 21 years old when he made his first-team debut.
The 26-year-old has come leaps and bounds since then, establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in his homeland. Cakir has turned out 171 times for Trabzonspor and is now a leading figure for the Turkish club. At the same time, he has also become a regular for Turkey, with his performances capturing the attention of Newcastle United.
Newcastle United showed interest in Ugurcan Cakir earlier this year, scouting him in the first few months of 2022. The Magpies were desperately searching for a goalkeeper in the market and kept tabs on many shot-stoppers. And their search ended with Nick Pope’s arrival at St. James’ Park.
Pope has been top-notch for Newcastle thus far in the 2022/23 season, solidifying his status as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. So it is unclear why the Tyneside outfit might want to pursue another goalkeeper only a few months after signing Pope.
But with Martin Dubravka now at Manchester United, Cakir might be a solid candidate to provide competition to Pope. However, it is unclear if the 26-year-old will be open to a lesser role at Newcastle United, despite the lure of the Premier League.
Nonetheless, it looks like Newcastle United will closely monitor the Turkish goalkeeper this season. And an official bid might be on the cards, according to the report by Sabah. While it seems perplexing, it will be interesting to see if the Magpies follow up on their interest by presenting an offer for Cakir.
