Newcastle now closing in on deal to sign £17m star after club-to-club talks

Newcastle United are now closing in on a deal for a “very intelligent” player, having held talks with his club and representatives.

Alan Shearer urges Eddie Howe to rebuild this summer

Newcastle’s 2-0 defeat against Fulham summed up their season, with Alan Shearer bemoaning the lack of “energy” and “hunger”, before going on to suggest manager Eddie Howe needs to make wholesale changes to his squad this summer.

Shearer said: “I think that is clear now for everybody to see that Eddie [Howe] needs to refresh and ship six or seven out and get six or seven in.

“It is about wanting to improve and wanting to get a result when the club have had a really difficult season in the Premier League and that is why they are where they are in the league at this moment in time and it has been so poor this season in the league.”

The loss at Craven Cottage condemned the Magpies to a 12th-placed finish in the Premier League, and they shipped 55 goals, with goalkeeper Nick Pope receiving criticism for some of his performances.

Pope was used interchangeably with Aaron Ramsdale throughout the campaign, with Howe unable to settle on his preferred option between the sticks, and signing a new goalkeeper is now on the to-do list this summer.

Newcastle advancing to sign “very intelligent” player

According to a report from The Chronicle, Newcastle are now closing in on their first summer signings, having held talks with Reims regarding a deal for goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, who is valued at around €15m – €20m (£13m – £17m) by the Ligue 2 side.

Discussions have also been held with Jaouen’s representatives, and both parties are hopeful an agreement can be struck, although nothing has been finalised at this stage.

Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion remain in the running to sign the 6’6 colossus, who remains under contract with Reims until 2029.

Prior to signing for Reims, the 20-year-old spent time with fellow Ligue 2 side USL Dunkerque, and he received high praise from former manager Luis Castro, who said: “He takes good shots in training. He’s a good goalkeeper, very young, and he’s developing well with our goalkeeping coach. He’s better now than at the start of the season; he always listens to what we say, he’s very intelligent.”

The youngster then went on to collect 15 clean sheets for Reims in the 2025-26 Ligue 2 campaign, which was more than any other goalkeeper in the French second tier.

Ewen Jaouen’s Ligue 2 stats

34 appearances
35 goals conceded
15 clean sheets
67% save percentage
2.1 saves per 90
1.0 goals conceded per 90

However, with Jaouen yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues, Newcastle may also need to sign a more experienced goalkeeper this summer.