Newcastle have signed Czech goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga after meeting his release clause of £25.7million.
The 24-year-old has penned a five-year deal on Tyneside and becomes the second goalkeeper to arrive at St James’ Park this summer, following Ewen Jaouen through the door.
Newcastle have also signed Bazoumana Touré, Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba since the end of last season after changing their recruitment model to target younger players.
However, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have moved on, while captain Bruno Guimaraes is still agitating for a move for Arsenal, departures that are believed to have contributed to the exit of head coach Eddie Howe last week.
Matthias Jaissle is expected to be named the new Newcastle boss in the next 24 hours after compensation was agreed with his current club Al-Ahli.
Hornicek told the club’s official website: “The last few days have been an emotional rollercoaster from when I first heard about the move and now I’m so happy to be here. It’s a brilliant opportunity in a new league, which I’m very excited about.
“From the very first moment I arrived here, I received a fantastic welcome and really felt the warmth of the club. Everyone has been brilliant in helping me settle in.
“I know Newcastle is a huge football city, with 52,000 fans at St. James’ Park creating an incredible atmosphere and pushing the team every game. I can’t wait to play in front of them.”
Hornicek is one of Europe’s top young goalkeepers – Wilson
It has been a turbulent pre-season for Newcastle but sporting director Ross Wilson was pleased the club were still recruiting ahead of their first game, at home to Liverpool on August 23.
Wilson said of one-time Czechia International Hornicek: “I’m delighted to welcome Lukáš to Newcastle United. His progress in recent years has been remarkable and he has firmly established himself as one of Europe’s top young goalkeepers.
“We knew there would be no shortage of clubs interested in acquiring Lukáš this summer after everything he achieved last season, but it quickly became evident how keen he was to be a part of what we are building here.
“I’m really pleased we’ve able to conclude the deal swiftly, which has enabled Lukáš to join the squad during the opening days of our pre-season training camp in Spain. Being here for the next week will only benefit him as he gets to know his new team-mates and coaching staff.”
