By TAMARA PRENN, SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
Published: 05:47 EST, 11 December 2025 | Updated: 05:47 EST, 11 December 2025
Loris Karius and his wife Diletta Leotta are set to welcome a new arrival to their family in 2026, with the couple announcing their pregnancy on social media on Thursday.
The glamorous pair - who began dating in 2022 before marrying two years later - previously welcomed their first child, Aria, in 2023.
Sharing their happy news on social media, the couple referenced the festive timing of their announcement in their statement, describing the 'gift' that their news had given them.
'This Christmas we couldn’t wish for a more beautiful gift,' Karius and Leotta captioned a picture of their family posing with their Pomeranian dog Lillo.
'Aria is becoming a big sister, and our hearts are ready to love twice as much (red heart emoji).'
The couple's baby joy comes against the backdrop of a promising period in Karius' career on the pitch, seven years on from his humiliating Champions League run-out for his former Liverpool side.
Loris Karius and his wife Diletta Leotta have announced that they are set to welcome a second child next year
The glamorous couple have been together since 2022 and married in the summer of 2024
Since his unedifying turn in the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv, Karius has seen out two unsatisfying loan spells at Besiktas and Union Berlin, before serving an anonymous two-year spell with Newcastle, where he was third-choice goalkeeper.
But since moving to his new side Schalke at the start of the season, Karius has been in fine shot-stopping form, and is considered one of the standouts in a team pushing for their long-desired return to the Bundesliga at the end of the season.
The 32-year-old has been described as the 'phoenix of football' by those impressed by his comeback, with Karius keeping eight clean sheets in the side's 15 league games this season.
'He gives the team confidence, makes impossible saves, and hardly makes any mistakes,' Schalke legend Olaf Thon told Ran.de. 'He has experience, and it shows.'
'I don't usually pay much attention to statistics, but as a goalkeeper, you always want to keep a clean sheet,' Karius said.
'I'm playing well and I'm satisfied. I'm having an amazing time. I go to training every day with a smile.
'I'm grateful to be able to experience this week after week , and it's even more wonderful how things are going.'
Karius has relocated to Gelsenkirchen for his new side alongside Leotta, who works as a presenter for DAZN's Serie A coverage, and splits her time between Germany and Milan.
The 32-year-old has been enjoying a career revival in the German second division with Schalke
Karius admitted in an interview this year that he and his wife were keen to have another child
Leotta has become a well-known star in Italy in her own right as a football presenter for DAZN
But Leotta found herself embroiled in a spat when she was accused by a peer of not dressing appropriately for her role
Although admitting he struggles with the distance between them at times, Karius shared in October that their bond was such that 'Diletta even advised me to extend at Schalke.
'She thinks the club is great and she likes everything she has seen here so far,' he added.
'Diletta also thinks that royal blue is the perfect choice for my sporting success. She is fully behind this decision!
'But of course it's hard for me when I can't see my little daughter Aria for days. But that's what FaceTime is for, and we see each other regularly - as often as possible.'
In the same interview, Karius had admitted that the pair were keen to have a second child, but that they had no 'concrete' plans they wished to share.
The former Germany international also shared that Leotta's impressive career had led to her being recognised in the street more than him when the pair are in Milan.
But Leotta's eye-popping looks and personal style, while making her a popular figure both for the broadcaster and on social media, have attracted criticism from her peers.
A fellow presenter, Valentina Maceri, included Leotta in a group of broadcasters whose style borders on 'vulgarity' and who she believes lack 'professionalism'.
Leotta has fiercely defended her right to wear whatever she wants - and insisted that DAZN place the utmost importance on talent when choosing their presenters.
She told La Gazzetta dello Sport: 'Of course I feel it (people being obsessed with aesthetics). But I feel part of a shift in the perception of women as presenters and journalists, which I think is finally taking hold.
'In this sense, I have to say I'm lucky to work with DAZN, because here they manage to emphasize competence, valorizing talent regardless of whether you're a woman or a man. It's clear that image is part of our job, especially for those in television, but if you turn out to be a container without substance, you won't get very far.'
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