Czech goalkeeper Horníček set for Newcastle move worth 727 million crowns

Czech goalkeeper Matyáš Horníček is closing in on a move to English club Newcastle United. According to foreign media reports, a final agreement was reached on Saturday evening at the Spanish training facility La Manga, where the 24-year-old keeper passed his medical and signed a multi-year contract.

Neither club has officially confirmed the transfer yet, but sources say Newcastle have agreed to trigger the €30 million (roughly 727 million crowns) release clause in the player's contract with Portugal's Braga.

Interest in the Pardubice-trained goalkeeper surged after last season, when he was one of Braga's key men on their run to the Europa League semi-finals. His name was linked with a string of European heavyweights, including Inter, Leeds United, Bayern Munich and Benfica. Following the World Cup, interest in the keeper only grew further, and it was ultimately Newcastle who won the race for his signature.

Horníček began his career at Pardubice before moving to Braga while still very young, gradually working his way into the first team. His strong performances earned him a place in the Czech national team, and now he is set to make his Premier League debut.

In England, he will find himself alongside another Czech goalkeeper, Antonín Kinský, who is regarded as Tottenham's first-choice keeper. The move to Newcastle comes at a time of change at the club, with Eddie Howe no longer in charge — he has been replaced by German coach Matthias Jaissle.

Horníček enters his English chapter with an impressive résumé, having recorded 88 matches and 37 clean sheets at club level. Those are the kind of numbers he hopes to keep producing in the Magpies' shirt.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz