Newcastle could be blocked from moving for David de Gea by the Premier League, it has emerged.
The Magpies have been heavily linked with the former Manchester United goalkeeper after their No.1 Nick Pope suffered a shoulder injury in the 1-0 win over the Red Devils.
It was a recurrence of a previous shoulder problem for Pope, who will undergo surgery and is set for a four-month spell on the sidelines.
Pope's injury is a big blow for Newcastle given how he's performed since joining from Burnley.
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De Gea, who is still a free agent after leaving United upon the expiration of his contract in the summer, was touted as a potential option.
The Spaniard is said to be open to a return to the Premier League, though his wife Edurne Garcia wants to stay in Spain.
Newcastle still have three goalkeepers in their books in Martin Dubravka, Loris Karius and Mark Gillespie.
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And according to Chronicle Live, the Magpies would need to receive special dispensation from the Premier League.
Typically that would be granted in an emergency scenario where there is just one recognised goalkeeper.
And the rules state that changes cannot be made to a squad list outside of a transfer window without the approval of the Premier League.
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Newcastle were able to bring in Karius on a short-term deal last season and he ended up playing in the Carabao Cup final against United.
No permission was needed from Premier League chiefs as it was not deemed a squad list change.
However, Eddie Howe is backing Dubravka, who spent a period on loan at United last term and was cup tied for the final when he returned.
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He was in the sticks as Newcastle beat United 3-0 in this year's Carabao Cup fourth round and replaced Pope for the league triumph.
"The good positive signs from Martin are that in his last full start, I thought was outstanding against Manchester United away in the Carabao Cup where he was composed and he's performed really well for his country as well as they recently qualified for the Euros so he's in a really good place," Howe told BBC Radio Newcastle after the United win.
"He's very positive and he did really well and showed his experience today because that wasn't an easy 15 minutes for any goalkeeper to come in, especially in the cold conditions, but he did very well."
Topics: Premier League, Newcastle United, David De Gea
Josh Lawless