Newcastle United shot-stopper Karl Darlow has been told he has a future at St James' Park despite the arrival of Nick Pope, according to Keith Downie who spoke to Give Me Sport.
The 31-year-old's future on Tyneside looked uncertain with Martin Dubravka and Pope both previously expected to be competing for the number one spot under Eddie Howe, with the former remaining above Darlow in the pecking order last term.
In fact, the latter made just eight Premier League appearances last term and with the stopper not playing any part in Carabao and FA Cup matches, his game time at the club was extremely limited.
With this, some were expecting him to be made available for sale this summer and West Bromwich Albion were early contenders to secure his services, with the Baggies' manager Steve Bruce previously working with the Englishman.
However, with Bruce not prioritising the goalkeeping position as an area to improve with David Button and Alex Palmer at his disposal, this seemingly allowed another linked side in Middlesbrough to put themselves in pole position to land him.
But they could be set to miss out on him, with journalist Downie believing the 31-year-old has been personally told by officials at St James' Park that he has a future on Tyneside.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, he said: "My understanding is that Karl Darlow has been told he’s got a future at the club, so that leaves a bigger question mark over Martin Dubravka.
"There was a little bit of talk over him leaving in January, but it didn’t materialise at the time."
The Verdict:
Although he is seemingly a target, Boro shouldn't pay over the odds in a bid to change Newcastle's mind because there are other irons in the fire that could be suitable alternatives for Chris Wilder's side.
Daniel Iversen is one of those. As third-choice option at Leicester City at this stage, it may not take a hefty fee to lure him away from the King Power Stadium and they could secure a bargain deal for one of the best stoppers in the second tier last season.
Tom Heaton is another potential addition and as a safe pair of hands, he could prove to be more reliable than Joe Lumley who made quite a few errors on Teesside last term.
From Darlow's perspective though, he should be looking to push for a move away from the Magpies considering he will only be playing a limited number of games next season.
The 31-year-old should be looking to move even if he has to take the step down to the second tier temporarily - because with a side like Boro - he could easily be back in the top tier for the 2023/24 campaign.