Newcastle United will look to sell academy graduate Freddie Woodman in an eight-figure deal this summer, should the goalkeeper push for a move away, according to Football Insider.
Woodman is set to hold talks with the club’s hierarchy at the end of the season to discuss his future at St. James’ Park, having enjoyed a standout campaign on loan with Swansea City where he has started each of the Jacks’ 37 league fixtures.
The 23-year-old wishes to understand what his role would be back on Tyneside were he to return, with Martin Dubravka currently Steve Bruce’s undisputed first-choice and penning a new, six-year contract in October.
Dubravka is yet to miss a minute in the Premier League since making his debut between the posts against Manchester United in February 2018, though his unbroken run of appearances was aided by the postponement of fixtures as he battles to return from a medial knee ligaments injury.
If Bruce opts to persist with Dubravka next term, it is expected that Woodman will urge the club to allow him to leave in a permanent transfer this summer, which would appeal to Swans boss Steve Cooper who would ‘love’ to see the ‘keeper stay at his Championship side.
Cooper would face paying an eight-figure sum to retain Woodman, with Football Insider adding that Newcastle now value the academy graduate at £10million as a result of his performances in the second-tier.
Woodman has kept 11 clean sheets over his 37 Championship appearances this term, which is a record only Leeds United’s Kiko Casilla (15 in 35 games), Nottingham Forest’s Brice Samba (12 in 33), Millwall’s Bartosz Bialkowski (12 in 37) and Blackburn Rovers’ Christian Walton (12 in 37) can better.
Statistics collected this season by Sofa Score also show that Woodman has made the sixth-most saves (99) in the second-tier, plus saving the divisions’ most penalties (three) and third-most shots from those taken inside the box (70).
With only one year remaining on Woodman’s Toon contract come the close of the campaign, Bruce will have to put a convincing case together to see that the 23-year-old wishes to see out those 12-months or sign on for more.
In other Newcastle United news, the club can avoid a proposed stumbling block to sign Steve Bruce’s “great” target by simply offloading one first-team outcast.