Newcastle United are interested in signing Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, according to a report from Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness).
The lowdown: Goalkeeper hunt
Strakosha is the latest in a long line of stoppers linked with a move to the North East after Manchester United's Dean Henderson and Leicester City star Kasper Schmeichel.
Toon boss Eddie Howe is expected to actively pursue an alternative to Martin Dubravka, who has almost always been the first choice at St James' Park since arriving from Sparta Prague in 2018.
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The 33-year-old has made 129 appearances during his time at the club, but it seems as though his monopoly over the number one spot could be coming to an end this summer...
The latest: 'Ready' to move
As per Corriere dello Sport, translated by SW, Strakosha is described as being 'ready for Newcastle' ahead of the final Serie A game of the season and a contract expiry in July (Transfermarkt).
Recently, the 27-year-old has been indexed with a move to Fulham, and it appeared that a move to the newly-promoted London club could be on the horizon.
However, the latest revelation fails to mention Marco Silva's outfit and instead claims that Newcastle are in the box seat to sign the 19-cap Albania international on a Bosman deal.
The verdict: No brainer
Boasting 163 career Serie A outings, signing Strakosha on a free transfer would be a superb piece of business from the new ownership group at PIF.
This season, the 6 foot 4 Albanian ace has kept 11 clean sheets in 30 appearances and is a close stylistic match for the likes of Premier League goalkeeping stars Edouard Mendy, Hugo Lloris and Barcelona ace Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Fbref).
Branded 'extraordinary' by former Lazio manager Alberto Bollini for his incredible athleticism, adding the £6.3milion valued Strakosha to the St James' Park ranks whilst leaving the budget untouched for other areas in the squad would be a masterstroke on Howe and co's behalf.
In other news: Newcastle now eyeing move for 'absolutely superb' international, read more here