Beşiktaş have no intention of giving up on Newcastle United‘s Joe Willock and will make a new attempt to sign him in the winter market.
The midfielder initially joined Newcastle United on loan from Arsenal in February 2021. He made his stay permanent later that year and made 193 appearances for the Magpies, managing 22 goals and 12 assists.
Last season, Eddie Howe didn’t utilise the 27-year-old regularly. To put it in context, he played 1,650 minutes from 36 matches, and 980 were in the Premier League.
The Turkish club wanted to offer him an escape route in the summer window, but a move didn’t go through.
Situation improved at Newcastle United
Eddie Howe stepped down in July, and Matthias Jaissle replaced him at St James’ Park the following month. The England international has featured regularly under the German this season, playing 724 minutes in 11 matches, managing three goals and an assist.
However, that isn’t stopping the Istanbul club from trying to sign Joe Willock again in the next window. Last month, their president, Serdal Adalı, publicly announced he will sign the player in January.
Earlier this month, Adalı doubled down on wanting to sign the Newcastle United player. This is mainly because Beşiktaş manager Vincenzo Italiano is keen on having Willock at his disposal.
He said: “He is a player the coach really wants. I am persistent regarding Willock. The coach hasn’t complained that we failed to sign him. I will go and hold talks again during the mid-season break. If it happens, it happens. If not, the coach hasn’t made a specific demand to sign anyone else right now.”
Clear plan to sign Newcastle United man
Sabah states Beşiktaş president Serdal Adalı, vice-president Murat Kılıç, deputy president Mithat Görkem Aksoy, board members Aykan Aydın and Melih Aydoğdu, and director Önder Özen will discuss January transfer plan during the November international break.
Newcastle United’s Joe Willock continues to be their main target as the Black Eagles’ top priority is to strengthen the midfield. The Tyneside club demanded €20m for him in the summer.
Willock’s contract expires in 2027. Therefore, Beşiktaş will only sign him in January if the Magpies were to lower the price to ‘single digit’. In other words, less than €10m, meaning the Turkish club want a massive discount from Newcastle United.
If the English club don’t meet their request, Vincenzo Italiano’s side will postpone this deal to next summer when Willock will be available for free. If they were to still miss out on him, the focus would then shift to Rangers’ Nicolas Raskin.
