Media drama not helping agents as they try to secure club after Newcastle exit

Loris Karius left Newcastle United when his contract with them expired on June 30th.

The goalkeeper joined the Magpies on a free transfer in 2022. He made two appearances for them, which included Newcastle’s EFL Cup final loss to Manchester United in February 2023.

Karius is yet to find a club since leaving Newcastle. Tuesday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo mentions he could be an emergency option for Barcelona.

The La Liga side’s first-choice stopper, Marc-André ter Stegen, suffered a serious knee injury against Villarreal at the weekend. He underwent surgery on Monday and will be out of action for most of this season.

Ter Stegen’s setback leaves Hansi Flick with Iñaki Peña and youngster Ander Astralaga as the two other goalkeepers in the squad. The Catalan club could sign a free agent to give more options to the manager.

The former Newcastle man is one of the targets. The report says the 31-year-old’s agents have held talks with Barca in the last few hours.

Karius spent six years at Liverpool between 2016 and 2022. The media was critical of his errors in the Reds’ Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in May 2018.

Mundo now claims the widespread media coverage over his mistakes in the past could ‘go against him’ joining Barcelona, where scrutiny is always exaggerated.