Newcastle United winger Ryan Fraser is closing in on a move away from St. James’ Park – according to a report from the Northern Echo, Scottish Premiership champions Celtic are lining up a bid for the player.

After falling out of favour with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, Fraser has found himself exiled from the first team – Celtic have offered him an opportunity to give his career a much-needed shot in the arm.

He has even been stripped of his squad number – instead, new signing Tino Livramento will adorn the number 21 kit in the 2023/24 season.

While Celtic have yet to submit a formal offer for the Scottish international, his exit from Newcastle seems inevitable at this point – it is just a case of where he ends up.

What did head coach Eddie Howe say regarding the situation surrounding Ryan Fraser?

On Fraser’s availability, Howe said earlier in the summer: “I think with [Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick, Isaac Hayden], in particular, it is very difficult for us as a football club because, in an ideal world for their careers, we’d want them to go and play football and have a good career at another football club.

“But there’s all sorts of difficulties associated with it – contract length, the amount of money they are earning – and it is finding a football club that they want to go to as well. They are all great lads. I have no issue with any of them and I wish them well, but let’s see what happens.”

Will Newcastle United miss Ryan Fraser?

Fraser was an impressive signing when he joined Newcastle United back in 2020, quickly establishing himself as a first-team regular – but the landscape at St. James’ Park has drastically changed since then.

Last season, Fraser made just eight appearances for the Toon, with just three of them being starts. Additionally, he also failed to score a goal or register an assist.

With wingers at the club such as Miguel Almiron, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon, Fraser is now the Mags’ fifth-choice winger. When coupled with his rotten injury record and advancing age (he is now 29), a move away from the club makes perfect sense at this stage.