Turkish Super Lig giants Besiktas have tabled an offer to sign Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock before the end of the summer transfer window.
Joe Willock could end up leaving Newcastle United this summer after Besiktas submitted a formal bid to sign the midfielder, with the Turkish club identifying him as their top midfield target.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Besiktas have submitted a bid to Newcastle for Willock, leaving the decision with the Premier League club as they consider whether to sanction a late move for the 27-year-old.
After coming up the ranks at Arsenal, Willock moved to Newcastle on loan in early 2021 before completing a permanent transfer worth around £22 million that summer. He initially established himself as a key midfielder, but his involvement has gradually decreased over recent seasons, accumulating only 1,524 minutes across 41 matches in 2024/25 and 1,690 minutes across 39 appearances last season.
Newcastle have a big decision to make on Willock’s future
Willock’s involvement numbers underline the gap between squad regularity and genuine first-choice status. With Willock entering the final year of his contract, the Magpies face a choice: sell him now to recover value or risk losing him on a free transfer.
The club could view Besiktas’s offer as an opportunity to move on from a player whose role has diminished. Although Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali have departed, Willock’s status has not improved; he remains a peripheral option in Newcastle’s midfield plans after the arrival of Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba.
For Willock, a transfer to Turkey could offer something he has struggled to secure consistently at Newcastle: regular first-team football. Willock’s reduced prominence has made him expendable.
For the Turkish giants, a 27-year-old midfielder with Premier League experience offers proven depth at an attractive price. The Super Lig has also become an increasingly attractive destination for established players, with several high-profile names moving to the country in recent transfer windows.
Besiktas are clearly keen, having made Willock their priority in midfield and now putting a proposal in front of the Tyneside club. The next step rests with the Magpies, who must decide whether the offer is sufficient to part ways with a player who has entered the final 12 months of his deal.
For now, there is no indication that a deal has been agreed, but Besiktas’s formal bid has put Willock’s Newcastle United future firmly under the spotlight.