Newcastle United could reportedly omit one of Jonjo Shelvey or Karl Darlow from their 25-man squad in order to register Loris Karius.

The Lowdown: Karius to sign

It has been reported that the former Liverpool goalkeeper is now set to sign for the Magpies as a free agent, following an ankle injury picked up by Karl Darlow in training.

After loaning out Martin Dubravka to Manchester United, Eddie Howe clearly wants some competition for Nick Pope; and with Darlow injured, he feels as if the German can give him that.

The Latest: Shelvey or Darlow to miss out?

Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, journalist Miles Starforth has shared the news that, after Emil Krafth's long-term injury, Howe now has 25 players for his squad.

For Karius to be registered, one player has to miss out. Starforth claims that Darlow could be the one to make way after his injury, or alternatively Shelvey could be sacrificed after being ruled out for 12 weeks in August.

That would take him to the World Cup in Qatar in November, and due to the cut-off from domestic football at that point, it seems very unlikely that Shelvey will be able to play until after the tournament has finished.

The Verdict: Shelvey over Darlow

Even though it looks as if Darlow could return sooner than Shelvey, the Magpies should still register the central midfielder over him in case.

With Karius joining, Howe will have three senior goalkeepers in him, Pope and Mark Gillespie, which is enough for the 25-man squad.

Although it looks unlikely at this stage, Shelvey could still make a swift recovery and return earlier than expected, and Howe will want to keep his outfield options open from now until the World Cup starts.