Nick Pope targeted by Leeds as Newcastle prepare for goalkeeper shake up - Report

A new goalkeeper is a top transfer priority for Newcastle United in the upcoming transfer window.

It seems as though confidence in Nick Pope has taken a significant enough hit that Newcastle will finally make sure that they find a new No. 1 this summer.

While the Magpies have tried and failed to sign James Trafford in each of the past two summer windows, the subsequent efforts to bring in someone to compete with Nick Pope have been severely lacking.

Aaron Ramsdale will return to Southampton after a season-long loan at Newcastle in which he failed to convince the club to activate the option to buy.

Leeds United are keen on Nick Pope

The Chronicle has claimed today that Leeds United are once again looking in the direction of Nick Pope after being linked with an interest back in August last year.

The 34-year-old is approaching the final year of his contract at the club and has been on Tyneside since 2022, where he left Burnley in a £10m move.

Should Pope be on the move this summer, that means that Newcastle will need to recruit two goalkeepers, with John Ruddy also departing alongside Ramsdale now his contract is up.

As for potential incomings, James Trafford remains on our radar, along with Robin Risser of Lens and Brighton's Bart Verbruggen. Additionally, Newcastle have also held talks with Stade Reims over a move for Ewen Jaouen.

Goalkeeper department set for major shake up

We always felt that Ewen Jaouen felt like a second-choice keeper, and given the lack of confidence in Nick Pope, that suggested to us that Newcastle was already looking to recruit two keepers.

That in turn led us to believe that Nick Pope's future wasn't guaranteed, and while this story is so far sparse on details and feels extremely early days, we're not at all surprised.

The goalkeeper situation at Newcastle is already in the middle of a big shakeup after John Ruddy and Max Thompson left the club, alongside Ramsdale's return to Southampton. 

Additionally, Odysseas Vlachodimos appears desperate to return to Sevilla on a permanent basis, and now it looks like Pope could be on his way out too.

Hopefully we make a signing or two soon, or we might just see Mark Gillespie getting minutes over pre-season!