Newcastle United sign Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek in £25.7m deal

Newcastle United have completed the signing of Czech Republic goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga in a deal worth £25.7m.

The Premier League club activated the release clause of the 24-year-old, who arrives at St James’ Park on a five-year contract.

He has been brought in to serve as the new first-choice stopper ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The Czech international becomes the Magpies’ fifth acquisition of a busy summer window following the arrivals of Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba.

‘An emotional rollercoaster’

The former Braga goalkeeper expressed his delight at securing a move to the English top flight, praising the warm welcome he received upon arrival.

“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,” Hornicek said.

“It’s a brilliant opportunity in a new league, which I’m very excited about.”

The new arrival also acknowledged the reputation of his new fanbase, noting the incredible atmosphere regularly created by the 52,000 supporters inside St James’ Park.

Beating the competition

Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson revealed the club faced stiff competition for the highly-rated keeper’s signature.

“His progress in recent years has been remarkable and he has firmly established himself as one of Europe’s top young goalkeepers,” Wilson stated.

“We knew there would be no shortage of clubs interested in acquiring Lukas 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.”

The swift conclusion of the transfer allows the imposing stopper to join his new team-mates immediately at their pre-season training camp in Spain.

The £25.7m investment follows a period of major squad restructuring on Tyneside, funded in part by the lucrative departures of key figures Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon earlier in the window.