Newcastle United are approaching a key period with sights on next season’s squad, with several veteran players entering the final months of their contracts at St James’ Park.
Among them is Swiss defender Fabian Schar, whose current deal is set to expire at the end of June.
The 34-year-old center-back has been sidelined for a large chunk of the season with an ankle injury, but the uncertainty over his future got a bit of clarity of late thanks to a report from Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke.
“Newcastle
United manager Eddie Howe is keen for centre-back Fabian Schar to land a new contract before the end of the season, sources have told Football Insider,” Pete O’Rourke reported. “The 34-year-old could leave St James’ Park as a free agent this summer, and it is understood that several clubs are already eyeing up the chance to table an offer to him if he does depart.”
Schar has made more than 250 appearances for Newcastle since joining from Deportivo La Coruña in 2018. He has featured in 16 Premier League matches this season before going down injured in January, and he remains an important part of Howe’s defensive rotation when available, alongside Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman and Dan Burn.
“Sources have indicated that Howe still views him as a key part of his squad on Tyneside,” O’Rourke wrote. “Newcastle’s transfer plans are already being formed for next season, and it has now become clear that Howe does not want to see Schar sign elsewhere.”
The report also notes that Schar and the club have yet to agree on terms for a contract extension, with the length of the deal seemingly the main roadblock for an agreement.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are already working on new deals or tweaks to the contracts of the likes of newcomer Thiaw, mostly because of some reported interest from Chelsea and Juventus.
