Newcastle United are reportedly ready to launch a £20 million summer transfer swoop for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
According to The Sun, Newcastle United are interested in Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and are looking to land the Spaniard this summer. Eddie Howe’s scouts have been doing extensive research on the talented keeper, and the Toon are weighing up a £20 million offer in the summer.
Newcastle United made quite a splash in the January transfer window and brought in several players, with high-profile acquisitions of Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier grabbing the limelight. Their arrival has seemed to have a positive impact on the club as well, as they have climbed out of the danger zone, even though their safety is not completely guaranteed yet.
Newcastle’s ambitious new owners will undoubtedly want to continue improving the squad ahead of next season. And it seems that signing a new goalkeeper has emerged as a priority for the Magpies, with many names linked in recent weeks.
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno was a top summer transfer target for Eddie Howe’s side. But he wants to return to his homeland, Germany, with former club Bayer Leverkusen sniffing around, meaning the Magpies need to look elsewhere. Dean Henderson and Kepa Arrizabalaga have been linked with the Tyneside outfit, but The Sun claims that Brighton’s Robert Sanchez is currently at the top of their wishlist.
A product of the Seagulls’ academy, Sanchez previously had had loan spells at lower league sides Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale before breaking into the first-team squad at the Amex Stadium last season, overtaking an underperforming Mathew Ryan to become a regular in between the sticks.
To date, the Spaniard has made 57 Premier League appearances and has been outstanding throughout his tenure, keeping a respectable 18 clean sheets along the way, while only conceding 1.12 goals per game on average. The 24-year-old has, in particular, impressed with his long-range distribution, reaction saves and commanding vocal presence.
As far as Newcastle are concerned, Martin Dubravka is currently the number one between the posts. The 33-year-old has been one of their most consistent performers in recent seasons, bailing the Magpies out of some tricky situations at the bottom end of the table.
The Slovak shot-stopper certainly deserves a lot of credit for the job that he has done for the Tyneside outfit, and he is one of the reasons behind the club’s improvement since Howe’s arrival as manager. But at the same time, he has come under scrutiny for his poor distribution.
To that end, signing a capable, young Premier League goalkeeper in Sanchez would potentially be a solid addition for Newcastle and could help take them to the next level. The Spaniard is contracted at the Amex Stadium until 2025, and Brighton are under no pressure to let go of their prized asset. Whether Newcastle do launch a summer move for the highly-rated Spanish international remains to be seen.
