Newcastle United are edging towards completing their first piece of transfer business, following the latest update regarding their interest in Manchester United stopper, Dean Henderson.

Whats' the word?

According to Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the Magpies have all but secured the signing of the Englishman, with sources believing he was in Newcastle on Wednesday to discuss a deal.

Writing on Twitter, the Red Devis correspondent delivered this update on the 25-year-old's future: "Dean Henderson closing in on a move to Newcastle. Understand he travelled to Newcastle for talks yesterday".

The report reveals that while a season-long loan deal is the subject of discussions at present, it is said that a permanent transfer has 'not been ruled out', with the player said to be available for a fee in the region of £40m.

The northeast side had attempted to secure a temporary deal for the former Sheffield United loanee back in January, although the move reportedly collapse when Martin Dubravka rejected the chance to head in the other direction.

Howe will be delighted

Despite missing out in the winter, it looks as if the St James' Park outfit are close to getting their man, with that news set to be a real source of delight for manager Eddie Howe, particularly with the deal nearing completion even before the current campaign has ended.

That desire to get the switch done early would suggest that strengthening the goalkeeping department was high on the priority list for the Tynesiders, having failed to settle on a preferred number one this season.

The aforementioned Dubravka has been the go-to man under Howe, although he has only made 25 starts thus far, with Freddie Woodman and Karl Darlow also enjoying brief stints in between the sticks.

That inability to find a settled option is far from an ideal scenario, with the arrival of Henderson seemingly set to alter that, with the £120k-per-week gem having showcased his quality in previous years, despite his current woes.

Having ended last season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's number one at Old Trafford, an unfortunate stint out with the viral pandemic prior to the start of the current campaign saw teammate David De Gea reinstated, with the Spaniard going on to enjoy a standout campaign to reclaim his first-choice status.

That has restricted the younger man to just three appearances in all competitions this season - none of which have come as starts - with the one-cap international having failed to really progress after his previous two-year loan stint at Bramall Lane.

After helping the Blades to promotion from the Championship in the 2018/19 season, the Whitehaven-born gem was hugely impressive in his debut top-flight campaign the following season, conceding just 33 goals in 36 games and recording 13 clean sheets - the joint-third most in the division.

Dubbed "insane" by former teammate Sander Berge, the highly-rated stopper appears to simply need a settled run of games in order to reproduce that standout form, with Howe and co likely aware of just what a talented prospect they are set to have on their hands.

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