Newcastle now set to sign 'incredible' £13.5m star at St James' Park | OneFootball

Newcastle are expected to end their pursuit of a goalkeeper by signing Burnley’s Nick Pope, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Eddie Howe has been in the market for a new shot-stopper since January and he looks to have finally got his man in the shape of £13.5m-rated Pope.

What’s the latest news involving Pope?

Having missed out on signing Dean Henderson, who now looks set to joined newly-promoted Nottingham Forest, Newcastle quickly turned their attention to Pope, who wants to continue playing Premier League football to boost his chances of going to this winter’s World Cup.

According to Sky Sports, talks are well underway between the two clubs, with the Telegraph reporting that the Toon Army will pay around £8m-£10m for Pope.

The ex-Charlton keeper, described as ‘incredible‘ by Gareth Southgate, has played 141 times in the Premier League for Burnley, and will compete with Martin Dubravka for the number one shirt at St James’ Park.

1 of 15

What year were Newcastle United founded?

1892 1896 1900 1904

Newcastle’s move for Pope only gathered pace in recent days and Jones believes the speed of the transfer is exciting news for the Magpies faithful, especially given the delays in deals for Hugo Ekitike and Sven Botman.

What did Jones say about Pope?

When asked for an update on Tuesday afternoon, he told GIVEMESPORT: “The move for Nick Pope accelerated fast and that’s a great sign for Newcastle fans that when things come together, the club can negotiate effectively.

“It is looking like the deal will happen and of all the keepers they’ve looked at, he’s definitely one of the best.”

Darwin Nunez to Liverpool! Done Deal! Hear more on The Football Terrace…

How did Pope compare to Dubravka last season?

Despite Burnley’s relegation, Pope (6.81) outperformed the Slovakian goalkeeper, who was given an average WhoScored rating of 6.65.

The England international also kept one clean sheet more than Dubravka, although the Newcastle man made 10 appearances fewer, meaning he had a higher clean sheet percentage (30.8 per cent) than Pope 25 per cent.

Pope also led the way in terms of saves made, with his 121 the fourth-best in the Premier League, while his save percentage (73.6 per cent) was marginally better than Dubravka (67.9 per cent), but he did make one error directly leading to a goal, with the Newcastle man perfect in that category.

Overall, they both generally performed consistently, which should leave Howe with a tough decision on his hands when it comes to picking his first choice goalkeeper for their season opener in August.