Newcastle United star snubs transfer talk with replacement already 'agreed'
Newcastle United transfers: Martin Dubravka has dismissed questions about his future at St James’ Park.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper made 30 appearances for Newcastle in all competitions during the 2023-24 campaign with Nick Pope out injured. But he is facing an uncertain future on Tyneside as he heads into the final year of his contract.
The Magpies have been linked with potential goalkeeper signings this summer with Burnley’s James Trafford a top target. While the 21-year-old is understood to have agreed to a move, the clubs are still yet to settle on a transfer fee with Burnley already rejecting a £16million bid from Newcastle.
Dubravka is likely to leave the club this summer and has already attracted some interest. Scottish Premiership side Celtic have been credited with an interest in the Slovakian.
But Dubravka has an opportunity to put himself in the ‘shop window’ this month having already impressed with a clean sheet against Belgium in Slovakia’s shock 1-0 Euro 2024 group stage win on Monday.
After the match, Dubravka was asked about his future at St James’ Park but gave a dismissive response with his focus on national team duties.
“I don’t really know, and to be fair my mental state at the moment is to focus on my job here,” the Newcastle goalkeeper said. “I just want to enjoy this because this is huge for our country.
“We do not always qualify for tournaments like this, so I am trying to absorb all the energy.”
It wasn’t the first time Dubravka had been asked about his future during the tournament though his initial response was considerably more spiky.
“It's hard for me to comment on that, because I get information from the newspaper about who we are signing,” he told Slovakian reporters. “If I'm honest, I don't care what happens anymore. I defended my place and did my best for the club.
“If they decide to bring someone else, I won't influence it anymore. This is going aside at the moment, I'm trying to concentrate on the national team now. I let the rest out of my head.”
Dubravka will be back in action for Slovakia against Ukraine on Friday and Romania next Wednesday as he looks to help his country progress to the last-16.