Newcastle United are set to announce a contract extension for defender Fabian Schar, according to manager Eddie Howe.
Schar has been in talks with the Magpies over his future for some time, with his current contract are St James' Park due to expire at the end of June.
The 33-year-old signed a 12-month extension with Newcastle in January 2024 and the Switzerland international is now expected to pen fresh terms on a new deal.
Speaking about Schar's contract situation, Howe told The Gazette: "I think Fabi, hopefully, will be signing his contract imminently, if he hasn't already, to my knowledge."
Schar has been a mainstay in Howe's first team at Newcastle and has played 220 times for the club across all competitions since joining in 2018, with the centre-back scoring 19 goals.
Discussing Schar's qualities, Howe said: "I think he is a player that you can use in different ways, very, very flexible in a sense that his game suits the modern way.
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"Elite" Schar set to extend Newcastle contract
"His technical ability goes without saying, but he's very, very good off the ball again. He's quite comfortable jumping into midfield to help us with our press, he's quite comfortable obviously staying in his position as well, but it's that sort of tactical understanding.
"I think he's elite with his brain in terms of seeing the game, and that's what you get with experienced players in that area of the pitch. It's him, Dan [Burn] and the other defenders we've had have done really well this year."
Schar has been relaxed when discussing his future and has made it clear on numerous occasions that he is keen to remain at Newcastle.
Speaking to Swiss news outlet BlueSport earlier this season, Schar said: "I feel really comfortable at Newcastle. I've been playing for years and I have a coach who relies on me. Everything is right for me.
"I would love to stay. The club and the coach know what they have in me. Basically, things have always gone relatively quickly in recent years. The club wanted to keep me, I wanted to stay. That's why it was never a big deal."
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Howe unsure over Lascelles future at Newcastle
Alongside Dan Burn, Schar has played regularly at centre-back in the absence of Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, the latter of whom has been sidelined for over 12 months with a troublesome ACL injury.
The 31-year-old has spent the last 11 years at St James' Park but his contract is due to expire in the summer and Howe could not confirm whether the defender will be offered a new deal when discussing his future.
"He's a big player, he's very popular. He's still a huge leader in the group. He's got a big presence," said Howe.
"I'm delighted that he got the chance to lift the [EFL Cup] with the other guys, and he deserved that moment for the length of time he's been here and the service he's given the club."
Lascelles is one of four Newcastle players who remain unavailable for selection ahead of the Magpies' home encounter with Brentford in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Oliver Thomas
