Newcastle table offer for 26-year-old Real Madrid star; La Liga giants respond: Reports

Newcastle United have reportedly made an offer for Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. The Ukrainian has been at the Santiago Bernabeu since arriving from Zorya Lugansk in the summer of 2018.

Having spent loan spells at Leganes, Real Valladolid and Real Oviedo, Lunin has never been the undisputed No. 1 at Madrid, making only 62 appearances across competitions, keeping 22 clean sheets.

Lunin received an extended spell with the first team when regular No. 1 Thibaut Courtois was out for large swathes of the 2023-24 season. Having played a stellar role in the club's run to the UEFA Champions League final, Lunin ceded his place to the fit-again Courtois for the final against Borussia Dortmund, a 2-0 win.

Despite being contracted to the Bernabeu till 2030, Lunin continues to be linked with moves elsewhere. As per Caught Offside, the Magpies submitted a loan bid worth €3 million for the Ukrainian. However, Los Blancos swiftly turned it down, suggesting that Madrid don't intend to part with Lunin this summer, either on loan or permanently.

It's pertinent to note that the 26-year-old made just 14 appearances across competitions, with Madrid winning the UEFA Super Cup and finishing second to Barcelona in La Liga. They also lost to thei arch-rivals in the Supercopa Espana and Copa del Rey finals and were eliminated in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final by Arsenal.

How did Real Madrid fare in their last competition?

Real Madrid are coming off an extended season, thanks to their involvement in the new-look 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the United States last month. In their first competitive outing under new boss Xabi Alonso, Los Blancos couldn't go all the way, though.

After opening their campaign with a 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal, Madrid beat Pachuca 3-1 and RB Salzburg 3-0 to romp into the knockouts, where they overcame Juventus 1-0 before prevailing over Borussia Dortmund in a five-goal thriller.

However, Alonso's side lost 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the last-four, ending their hopes of a record-extending sixth title in the competition. PSG would fall 3-0 to Premier League side Chelsea in the final, though.

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Bhargav