Newcastle United have signed goalkeeper, Lukas Hornicek from SC Braga in a £25.7m transfer.
Hornicek’s move comes after he enjoyed a breakthrough 2025-26 season with 24 clean sheets and 51 goals conceded in 55 total appearances across all competitions, which led Newcastle to activate his £25.7m release clause following negotiations with Braga.
Hornicek consequently has left Braga after seven years – having first joined on a youth trial loan in July 2019, across which he has gone on to keep 34 clean sheets and conceded 85 goals in 88 senior appearances since his first-team debut in October 2021.
The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Magpies until June 2031 and will become the first signing under new manager, Matthias Jaissle who has replaced Eddie Howe following the latter’s decision to quit during pre-season.
In his first interview as a Newcastle player, Hornicek explained that he is proud to have earned a chance to play in a new league and is excited to play at St James’ Park.
“The last few days have been an emotional rollercoaster from when I first heard about the move and now I’m so happy to be here. It’s a brilliant opportunity in a new league, which I’m very excited about.
“From the very first moment I arrived here, I received a fantastic welcome and really felt the warmth of the club. Everyone has been brilliant in helping me settle in.
“I know Newcastle is a huge football city, with 52,000 fans at St. James’ Park creating an incredible atmosphere and pushing the team every game. I can’t wait to play in front of them.”
Born in Vysoke Myto, Czech Republic, Hornicek began his career with Sokol Dobrikov then FK Pardubice where he was initially loaned out to Braga in the 2019-20 in a successful move, which led the Portuguese club to sign him the following summer.
He soon made his senior debut in October 2021 in a 5-0 Taca de Portugal away win over Moitense in the first of two first-team appearances that season, which was followed by six more appearances across the following two seasons whilst he primarily remained with Braga’s B-team.
In that period, he made two appearances in Taca da Liga in the 2023-24 season which Braga went on to win although Hornicek wasn’t involved in the final.
The 2024-25 season saw him step up into the first-team squad on a regular basis as second-choice but quickly established himself as a rival for first-choice goalkeeper, Matheus, as he managed to keep seven clean sheets and conceded 23 goals in 24 appearances.
Matheus however left the club at the end of that season to join Red Star Belgrade which saw Hornicek promoted to the first-choice goalkeeper role.
Hornicek represents Czech Republic at international level and made his senior debut in a 2-1 friendly win over Kosovo on 31 May 2026, before he was part of the Czech squad that exited at the Group Stage of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
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