Newcastle United have signed Lukas Hornicek from Sporting Braga.
The transfer officially announced on Monday morning.
Lukas Hornicek becoming the fifth Newcastle United summer of this transfer window.
The Czech Republic international goalkeeper arriving on a five-year contract.
Sporting Braga on their official social media putting out this classy and amusing farewell message about their departing keeper: “From now on, Newcastle it’s the safest city in England.”
In their official statement, Newcastle United said the usual ‘Undisclosed transfer fee’ paid for Lukas Hornicek.
Sporting Braga though have been far more open when it comes to the cash involved, their statement starting with: ‘SC Braga has reached an agreement with Newcastle United (England) for the permanent transfer of goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek for a fee of €30.578 million.’
A shame they couldn’t have been a little more exact…
At the current exchange rate, €30.578 million equates to around £26.19m. This is in the same ballpark as the previous reporting that a €30m release clause existed in the goalkeeper’s Sporting Braga contract.
Today’s official Sporting Braga statement on the sale of Lukas Hornicek going on to say: ‘Signed from FK Pardubice (Czechia) in the 2019/20 season at just 16 years of age, the SC Braga No. 1 quickly established himself as one of the club’s brightest prospects, becoming a standout performer at every level of the academy. From the Under-19s to Braga B, Hornicek consistently proved his quality before earning a place in the first-team squad from the 2021/22 season onwards. It was midway through the 2024/25 campaign, however, that the Czech international cemented his place as SC Braga’s first-choice goalkeeper. On 23 January 2025, away to Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium in a UEFA Europa League fixture (a 2-1 victory), Hornicek started the match and never looked back, remaining the club’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper from that point forward.’
Credit: Newcastle United FC
Sporting Braga adding: ‘During his time with SC Braga’s first team, the towering Czech goalkeeper made 88 appearances, showcasing the talent and consistency that have now earned him a move to one of the world’s biggest football stages: the Premier League. SC Braga wishes Lukas Hornicek every success, both personally and professionally, as he begins this exciting new chapter in his career. Thank you for everything, Lukas. You will always be one of us.’