Newcastle United have opened contract talks with two long-serving players whose deals are set to expire in 2025.
Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth both had contract extensions triggered last season that run until the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Schar, who turns 33 next month, has made almost 200 appearances for Newcastle since arriving from Deportivo La Coruna for £3million in 2018.
The former Switzerland international is regarded as one of Newcastle’s best ‘bargain’ signings of the Premier League era. He has been a mainstay in the side under Eddie Howe.
Krafth is currently out injured but has proved himself a valuable member of Howe’s squad as a rotation option. The 30-year-old had offers to leave Newcastle last January and return to his native Sweden but the club triggered an extension to keep him at St James’ Park for another season. Krafth joined Newcastle from Amiens for £5million in 2019 and has gone on to make 90 appearances for the club.
In 2022, he suffered an ACL injury that kept him out of action for 14 months.
Emil Krafth in action for Newcastle United. Emil Krafth in action for Newcastle United.
Emil Krafth in action for Newcastle United. | Getty Images
According to Mail Online, Newcastle are in talks with the representatives of Schar and Krafth regarding new contracts. From January, both players will be able to sign pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs to join on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Newcastle are set to trigger a one-year extension in Sean Longstaff’s contract with the club keen to avoid losing any players of value for nothing.
“Losing players to free transfers is not something we want to be fighting as a football club for many different reasons,” Howe told The Gazette. “Probably the biggest reason for that is that it’s a distraction for the players and in my experience, players don’t tend to play well when they start to run their contract down into that last year, it’s a very uncertain time for them.
“We want players at their best but we want to protect the asset value of the individual player as well. To replace any player that is in and around our squad is going to cost us a lot of money so we’ve got to be very careful with those decisions.”
Jamaal Lascelles and Callum Wilson as well as goalkeepers Martin Dubravka, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie are also out of contract at the end of the season – leaving the club with a decision to make as to whether they offer any more new contracts.
