Report: Newcastle looking to go into next season with Nick Pope as number one but eyeing 21-year-old backup

Eddie Howe looks set to keep Nick Pope as his first-choice goalkeeper next season and is looking to bring in someone who can rival him rather than replace him.

Newcastle United are to undergo a few changes in the goalkeeper ranks ahead of the new season with Loris Karius a definite departure and Martin Dubravka likely to follow.

So far there have been several goalkeepers of varying degrees of quality and experience linked with a move to Newcastle, but the list appears to be dwindling.

Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili looked like it was a goer last week, however, just this morning the Georgian international posted a message on Instagram suggesting he was staying put.

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Newcastle are set to walk away from Ramsdale deal

A move for Arsenal 'keeper Aaron Ramsdale has been mooted for months, but never really felt like a move that would get done, and now The Daily Mail are suggesting that Newcastle are set to walk away from that one all together due to Arsenal's demands.

It's now far more likely that Eddie Howe will look to Burnley for a goalkeeper again and go for James Trafford to follow in Pope's footsteps.

Trafford could be available for just £20million, making him the cheapest option of the three and at just 21 years old, the most long-term, although Ramsdale and Mamardashvili are hardly ancient, especially by goalkeeper standards.

Trafford has bags of potential

Trafford has already shown he has the ability to be a top goalkeeper and is even in Gareth Southgate's provisional England squad for Euro 2024 ahead of Nick Pope.

Should the move happen, it's expected that Pope would remain first choice with Trafford as his rival for the spot, and it's believed that Trafford would be more willing to accept that role than Mamardashvili or Ramsdale, especially now that the Magpies won't have the extra games from European commitments.

Trafford is still a bit raw, but he definitely has potential, and it probably won't be long before he's elbowing Pope aside to take the number one spot were he to join Newcastle.