Newcastle United is in negotiations to finalise a double agreement and initiate another, as five players are expected to depart in 2025.

Newcastle United is in negotiations to finalise a double agreement and initiate another, as five players are expected to depart in 2025.At the conclusion of the season, Newcastle United will have eight senior players who are out of contract.

Jamaal Lascelles, Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar, Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, John Ruddy, Mark Gillespie, and Martin Dubravka all have contracts that are set to expire at the conclusion of the current campaign.

The club is reportedly in the process of negotiating new contracts with Krafth and Schar, as they were granted extensions last season that are set to expire in June 2025.

Newcastle will also initiate a contract extension to ensure that Longstaff remains at St James’ Park until June 2026. However, there is less certainty regarding the other five participants.

the club captain, has been sidelined for the majority of 2024 due to injury. Even when fully recovered, he would be ranked below the likes of Schar, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, and Lloyd Kelly in the centre-back pecking order.

Wilson, a striker, has been associated with a departure from the club and has not appeared on the pitch this year, similar to Lascelles, as a result of a variety of fitness issues. The club must make a decision on whether to extend the nine-time England international’s tenure or allow him to depart next year, as he will be 33 years old.

Then there is the custodian situation involving Ruddy, Gillespie, and Dubravka. Ruddy and Gillespie will not be in serious contention for a position in Newcastle’s first team.

However, Dubravka will be seeking a transfer that will ensure he receives regular first-team playing time, as he has only played 45 competitive games since Nick Pope’s return from injury. The 35-year-old has been open about his desire to feature on a regular basis, having made 30 appearances for Newcastle last season in Pope’s absence.

It is anticipated that Dubravka will depart the club either on a free transfer at the conclusion of the season or in January. However, Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s head coach, envisions that his players’ futures will be determined sooner rather than later.

Howe stated to The Gazette, “We should not be contending with the loss of players to free transfers as a football club for a variety of reasons.” It is likely that the primary reason for this is that it serves as a source of distraction for the players.

In my experience, players tend to perform poorly as they approach the final year of their contract, as it is a period of great uncertainty for them. “We desire players to perform at their highest level, but we also wish to safeguard the asset value of each player.

” We must exercise extreme caution when making decisions regarding the replacement of any player who is currently in or near our squad, as it will result in a substantial financial burden.