Newcastle United are prepared to let one of Karl Darlow or Loris Karius leave Eddie Howe’s side at St. James Park, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has told GiveMeSport.

The Magpies currently have four senior goalkeepers on their books at the time of writing.

Newcastle transfer news – Karl Darlow and Loris Karius

According to the Daily Mail, Karius’ future at Newcastle could be in doubt just four months after he signed a short-term deal with the club, with his contract due to expire at the end of January.

This comes following the Magpies’ decision to recall Martin Dúbravka from his loan spell at Manchester United this month after the Slovak made just two appearances for Erik ten Hag’s side at Old Trafford.

Newcastle are unlikely to need a quartet of goalkeepers on their books, with Darlow also another option behind first-choice Nick Pope and therefore, it seems inevitable that one of the back-ups will leave the club this month.

And Downie believes that there’s a chance that Darlow leaves Howe’s squad this month, with Karius’ future already in serious doubt.

What has Downie said about Darlow and Karius’ futures at Newcastle?

Downie told GiveMeSport: “There's been no update on Karius when we've asked about him.

“One of them will stay. Either Darlow will go out and try and find regular football somewhere and they’ll keep Karius as the number three. Or Karius will be allowed to go and Darlow will just kind of be forced to be the number three.

“They're not going to keep all three goalkeepers, one of them is going to leave.

“I think it depends on Darlow and whether he wants to go and play or if he’s content with being the number three goalkeeper.”

Would either goalkeeper be a big miss for Newcastle?

On the pitch, neither Darlow's nor Karius’ - who both earn £30k-per-week - exit would affect the current success that Newcastle are enjoying at the time of writing, with the Magpies in serious contention to qualify for a spot in the Champions League next season.

The latter has not made so much as a single appearance since his arrival last September as per Transfermarkt, suggesting that he would be the easier of the two to part ways with, especially with his deal at the club expiring at the end of the month.

On the other hand, Darlow has made 100 appearances for the Tyneside outfit, including a single appearance in the Carabao Cup this season and 34 appearances in the side’s Championship winning campaign of 2016/17 according to the same stats provider, suggesting that his presence could be missed should the 32-year-old depart.

Therefore, it would seem to make more sense if Newcastle were to let Karius leave at the end of his contract, rather than try and tie him down to an extension and let go of an experienced figure such as Darlow.

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