An exciting Newcastle United transfer claim has been made, regarding Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno...

What's the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has revealed that the Magpies could target the German international at the end of the season.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I could foreseeably see them, if they stay up, looking to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer and changing things up in the goalkeeping department.

“I think Bernd Leno is someone they would be interested in given his experience in the Premier League already.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this claim as Leno could be an excellent addition to the squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He is a proven top-flight performer who could come in and improve the team, as he has shown over the years that he can make some excellent saves. The German has a career average WhoScored rating of 6.71, compared to Dubravka's 6.66, and has played for teams with high expectations in Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal, showing that he can handle pressure.

Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stopped him from being the Gunners' Player of the Season in the 2019/20 campaign, which proves that he was able to produce consistently impressive displays in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe may want a goalkeeper who is able to play out from the back in order to build a progressive style of play and that is what the 29-year-old could offer him. He averaged a pass completion rate of 64.1% or higher in all of his top-flight seasons for Arsenal, averaging 72.3% or higher in each of the two leading up to the current one.

The current Magpies shot-stopper, meanwhile, has averaged a pass completion rate of less than 60% throughout his time at St. James' Park. This suggests that he is not as accomplished on the ball and may not have the ability to effectively play out with his feet.

Leno could also be more effective in controlling his area. He ranks in the top six percent of goalkeepers in Europe's top five leagues in the last year, whilst Dubravka is in the top 38 percent. This means that the German could alleviate pressure from his defence by coming out to claim the ball, rather than being hesitant and causing confusion at the back.

Therefore, fans would surely love to see the shot-stopper arrive in the summer and will be buzzing with the club's big plan to bolster their goalkeeping department at the end of the season.

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