Newcastle make Martin Dubravka move after Howe and Mitchell agreement - Report

Martin Dubravka's future has so far been the biggest topic of the January transfer window for Newcastle United.

The Slovakian was seen getting emotional as he had a moment in front of Newcastle fans after Tuesday's 2-0 win at Arsenal, suggesting reports in Saudi Arabia around an imminent move to Al-Shabab may be true.

However, it seems Newcastle aren't giving up on the Slovakian without a fight as new claims emerge on his future on Thursday afternoon. Here's the latest.

Newcastle making late push to keep him?

According to Craig Hope at The Mail, Newcastle are stepping up their efforts to keep Martin Dubravka at the club despite a tempting offer from the Middle East.

Despite a feeling earlier this week that the Toon chiefs would sanction his proposed move to Al-Shabab, where some parties claim there's a verbal agreement on the player's side, it's believed Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell both want him to stay following his key role in our run of seven-straight wins.

It is a complicated situation, however. Dubravka is out of contract in the summer, turns 36 this month and has a 'lucrative' contract on offer in Saudi Arabia. He also fears losing his spot to Nick Pope when he returns from a knee issue in the near future.

Mitchell and Howe are 'said to be sympathetic to Dubravka’s situation' and want to do right by the player, but Hope reports that there is 'very little financial incentive' on Newcastle's side to let him go now.

New deal unlikely - but reward on offer

A new contract is thought to be 'unlikely', with Dubravka happy to depart in 2025, but it's thought a 'reward' could be negotiated that sees the goalkeeper compensate for staying until the end of the season.

Hope reports that no definite decision has been made on his future, denying reports in Saudi that he's all set to sign, with Newcastle making a late push to keep him, with Newcastle eager to retain the strongest possible squad as we push for a place in the Champions League and trophy after moving a step closer to the Carabao Cup final.

What would you like to see happen? Selling for a fee now could have made sense for financial reasons, but that argument changes considerably if there's no fee involved and very little financial gain.