Newcastle United confirm 15th summer transfer exit after £30m deal & injury boost
Newcastle United transfers: Newcastle United have confirmed another transfer exit following the closure of the English summer transfer window.
Newcastle United youngster Leo Shahar has joined Liga Portugal side FC Arouca for the 2026/27 season.
The 19-year-old right-back made his debut for Newcastle in the Champions League win over Qarabag in February and featured regularly in pre-season, but the £29.5million signing of Amar Dedic, as well as Tino Livramento returning to fitness, means more first-team opportunities would have been hard to come by on Tyneside.
Shahar was made available for a loan, but the English transfer window passed without him finding a new club. But with the Portuguese transfer window open until Friday evening, the Magpies agreed a deal with Arouca for the teenage full-back.
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Arouca finished eighth in the Portuguese top flight last season and currently sit third in the table having taken nine points from their opening four matches. While Shahar is not expected to be first-choice right-back during his loan spell, it his hoped he will get more first-team opportunities compared to what he would have got back on Tyneside.
He becomes Newcastle’s 10th loan exit and 15th total transfer exit of the 2026/27 campaign.
Speaking about Newcastle’s full-back situation in pre-season, new head coach Matthias Jaissle hinted at some movement. Since then, Dedic has been signed while Alex Murphy and Shahar have now been loaned out.
“Yeah, we are totally aware in the club, internally, which positions we might need to strengthen the squad, but this is nothing for the press conference,” Jaissle told The Gazette last month.
“We believe in the players we have now, and we had the chat after the match in Valencia where we were really happy that the young lad's getting the chance, so that's also the approach from this club.
“Every minute they're getting, the better it is, because then they can grow. But like I said in my first statement, there will be adjustments in the squad, but we still have time.”