Newcastle United green light summer exit for player omitted from squad v Celtic - it's not Alexander Isak
The future is unclear for several Newcastle United players this summer with the 2025/26 season just weeks away.
Newcastle were beaten 4-0 at Celtic on Saturday in a game which saw new signing Anthony Elanga make his first appearance for the club.
But Elanga remains the only major signing for The Magpies so far this summer, with noise growing louder regarding outgoings rather than incomings.
Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson have left the club and will need replacing while more members of Eddie Howe’s first-team squad are set to depart.
Alexander Isak was left out of Newcastle’s squad to face Celtic and was actually sent home by Howe after travelling to Glasgow from Austria on Friday. The reason for Isak’s absence was due to managing his minutes after a groin injury as well as the speculation surrounding his future with Howe stating it wouldn’t have been ‘fair’ to have the striker sat in the stands if he wasn’t going to play.
While Newcastle are determined to keep hold of Isak this summer, there was another player left out of the side against Celtic that could be on the move this summer.
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Newcastle United green light transfer exit
Goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, like Isak, trained with the first-team in Austria but wasn’t part of the matchday squad at Celtic Park. Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka featured in the match while John Ruddy was named on the bench and Mark Gillespie was part of the travelling group.
There was no sign of Vlachodimos and it comes as the club consider a loan exit for the Greek international.
Vlachodimos joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest last summer in a deal worth £20million with Elliot Anderson heading the opposite direction for £35million. Although Vlachodimos is technically Newcastle’s record goalkeeper signing, he is yet to play in the Premier League for the club and has been limited to just 45 minutes of competitive football since his arrival.
With first-team opportunities unlikely this coming seasoon, Newcastle have made the goalkeeper available for a loan this summer.
Newcastle would likely avoid selling Vlachodimos unless they were able to receive a significant transfer fee. This is because any sale would go down as a significant PSR loss on the books after the £20million fee paid last summer.
The goalkeeper turned down the opportunity to join Al-Shabab during the January transfer window after Dubravka’s move to the Saudi Pro League fell through. He has also since rejected a move to Pumas in Mexico as he would prefer to remain in Europe.
NUFC goalkeeper attracting transfer interest
As previously reported, Real Betis are among the clubs considering a move for Vlachodimos this summer.
And according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Champions League side Villarreal are also considering a move for the goalkeeper.
While his destination is unclear, an exit is likely for Vlachodimos this summer.