Newcastle United have a new No.1 between the sticks after signing Sporting Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek.

Newcastle United are on the brink of signing Czech goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek.

At the time of writing, the Magpies are yet to officially announce his arrival. Toon chiefs activated his £25million release clause in midweek.

It is understood that he flew out to the La Manga camp to undergo a medical and meet his new teammates on Saturday. Hornicek will assume the No.1 spot at St James' Park, with Ewen Jaouen serving as his understudy.

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Newcastle remain open to offers for Nick Pope - valued at around £5million. The 34-year-old has been the first-choice keeper since 2022 but lost his way last season.

He will become the club’s fifth summer signing, after Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba. The Magpies remain in the market for a versatile full-back - an area Eddie Howe described as a priority just hours before resigning as manager.

Hornicek made his senior debut for Czech Republic earlier this year, having featured throughout every youth level. A new-look Newcastle outfit are training in Spain ahead of a clash with Valencia next weekend.

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New manager Matthias Jaissle is also at La Manga as Toon fans patiently await his announcement. The German has penned a four-year contract and will lead the St James’ Park rebuild.

A hectic three weeks ahead of the Premier League season kicking off will see Newcastle aim to give Jaissle the tools to succeed. There is also the Bruno Guimaraes issue, who wants to join Arsenal.

The skipper is expected to return to pre-season training in Spain tomorrow. All eyes will be fixed on Newcastle’s camp to see whether Guimaraes - a beloved figure on Tyneside - has reported to duty.

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