Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale looks to be on the move once more, a year after his move back down south.
England international Ramsdale was ousted from the no.1 spot in Arsenal’s goal by David Raya at the start of the 2023/24 season, spending a campaign on the bench before a move to St. Mary’s last summer to seek more playing time.
But this season has been a disaster for the 26-year-old, with a third relegation from the Premier League now under his belt.
Aaron Ramsdale set for reunion transfer this summer
“At times we’ve been well beaten by the better team, at times we’ve been beaten by more quality – and there’s times where we’ve beaten ourselves,” Ramsdale told the BBC in the aftermath of Southampton’s relegation back down to the Championship. “I think that they [the fans] can see throughout the season that it’s not for a lack of trying, it’s more through more quality on the opposition teams.
“We knew it was going to be tough at the start of the season, how hard it is to come to the Premier League [as] newly promoted teams. But I’m not too sure anyone expected it to quite this tough.”
With Ramsdale eyeing a spot in the England squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FourFourTwo understands that the custodian is likely to be on the move once more this summer, just 12 months on from joining the Saints.
Football Insider has revealed his current release clause to be worth £25 million – and with Newcastle United at a crossroads in the goalkeeping department, Ramsdale could be a serious option for the Toon.
Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka turn 33 and 36 years old, respectively, soon, with FourFourTwo’s Matthew Ketchell writing earlier this season of the “goalkeeping oddity” of Odysseas Vlachodimos’s move – a transfer made more to satisfy Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) than to provide manager Eddie Howe with serious competition for his ageing goalkeeping pool.
The report from FI claims that Howe is interested in linking up with Ramsdale again after their spell together at Bournemouth, which ended with the pair of them departing Dean Court in lockdown after relegation.
While FourFourTwo understands that James Trafford is another potential option between the sticks for the Magpies, Burnley’s possible promotion complicates the likelihood of the 22-year-old leaving the Clarets – making Ramsdale an experienced and potentially cost-effective option.
Despite having a poor season, Ramsdale is far more suited to playing further up the table, as demonstrated at Arsenal.
The former Sheffield United star is excellent with the ball at his feet and has shown himself to be a valuable member of any possession-based side, able to bail a side out of big games. It would seem he is better suited to an aspirational side like Newcastle than he would be at a team fighting relegation, providing a potentially huge upside of signing a player like this at his lowest.
Transfermarkt values Ramsdale at €16 million. Newcastle take on Leicester City in Premier League action tonight.
