Former Liverpool man spotted training in Italy following Newcastle United contract decision
Loris Karius has been training in Italy following his release from Newcastle United.
Karius left Newcastle following the expiration of his contract at St James’ Park. In two seasons at the club, the German goalkeeper was limited to two competitive appearances - the 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United in 2023 and 4-1 Premier League loss at Arsenal earlier this year.
Following Karius’ departure from Newcastle, the club have signed goalkeepers Odysseas Vlachodimos and John Ruddy from Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City respectively. Ruddy was a free agent after his contract at Birmingham expired while Vlachodimos joined after Newcastle agreed a deal with Forest to sell Elliot Anderson for £35million.
Meanwhile, Karius has spent the summer in search of a new club. The 31-year-old has been vocal about his desire to join an Italian club in order to be closer to his partner Diletta Leotta and daughter Aria, who are based in Milan. Karius hired an Italian-based agency earlier this year and, according to sources in Italy, has attracted interest from AS Roma, Monza and Torino.
But a deal is yet to materialise so far, with Karius now taking to social media to post footage of himself training as he looks to secure a transfer. The goalkeeper was filmed performing training drills at the A.S.D. Leo Soccer facility in Catania, Italy in an update posted on Thursday, August 15.
Speaking about a potential move to Italy, Karius previously told Gazzetta dello Sport: "Of course, it would be a great solution if there were good options for me, regardless of proximity to my family.
"I have always followed Serie A and it intrigues me a lot, but it is too early to talk about the future.
“When I arrived [at Newcastle], they already had a starting goalkeeper, and it wasn’t easy for me. I definitely aim to play more and that’s why I train hard every day.
"Being a goalkeeper is very difficult, the challenge is to stay positive knowing that you are not playing and to be ready.
"You’re alone in goal, when you score goals, all eyes are on you but when you do something positive no one cares. It’s part of the game, you have to be mentally strong, more than others."