Newcastle United are keen to sign Fenerbahce goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, according to Turkish outlet Milliyet.
The lowdown
The 23-year-old shot-stopper has made 85 appearances for Fenerbahce, keeping 21 clean sheets; and after one victory back in February, team-mate Mesut Ozil gave him ‘special thanks’ on Twitter. He made his debut for the Turkish senior team earlier this year after featuring 10 times at under-21 level (via Transfermarkt).
Intriguingly, Bayindir may have been a target for Newcastle during the Mike Ashley era. It was reported back in April that the Magpies were scouting the goalkeeper.
The latest
According to Turkish outlet Milliyet, Newcastle are apparently willing to offer Fenerbache £14m for the services of Bayindir.
However, the Turkish Super Lig outfit would be expected to reject that offer as they look to tie him down to a new contract.
The verdict
Karl Darlow has struggled for Newcastle so far this season, heavily underperforming relative to post-shot xG. Only five goalkeepers rank lower by that metric (via FBRef). On the other hand, the stats show that Martin Dubravka ‘prevented’ 1.4 goals over the course of last season.
Therefore, the smart move could be to restore the Slovakian, who was on the bench last time out against Brighton, to the team on a regular basis rather than investing in a new goalkeeper, particularly when Eddie Howe also has Freddie Woodman at his disposal.
In other news, Eddie Howe is targeting three players with whom he worked at Bournemouth
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