Newcastle star Joe Willock keen on completing move as deal accelerates - report
Joe Willock is moving closer to leaving Newcastle for Besiktas as they accelerate plans to offer £17million for his services.
Matthias Jaissle only has a few weeks to shape his Newcastle squad after taking charge of the club last week.
Bruno Guimaraes followed Sandro Tonali out of St James' Park over the weekend in a move to Arsenal, with fellow midfielder Willock also mooted to depart this summer.
He struggled for minutes throughout last season and was linked with a move away in the January window.
Turkish giants Besiktas reportedly saw a £10m offer for his services rejected by the Magpies last month, but are now weighing up another move.
It has been revealed that Willock is open to leaving the club before the end of the window and they are set to return with another bid very soon.
Joe Willock open to leaving Newcastle as new Besiktas bid lined up
Willock is one of the longest-serving Newcastle players as it stands, having initially joined the club on loan from Arsenal in February 2021.
Injury issues have restricted his minutes over the years, but he still made 39 appearances across all competitions last season under Howe.
Willock only managed to make 10 league starts, though, and Foot Mercato journalist Seb Vidal has now reported that Besiktas are making him a "priority" signing for their midfield.
He also states that Willock is open to leaving St James' Park for the Turkish club, after it was initially unclear whether he wanted to join.
Which midfielders are Newcastle targeting right now?
Jaissle is targeting at least one more midfield addition to bolster his ranks, after Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur were signed before he arrived.
Transfer talk involving the Magpies has been dominated by potential midfield incomings, with sources revealing to Football Insider that Newcastle want to hijack Aston Villa's move for Joao Palhinha.
The new manager is believed to want to sign a player who prefers to sit deep in front of the defence, with Willock known to be more of a box-to-box number eight.
Marseille's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been discussed as an option, as revealed by Football Insider, but talks are believed to have broken down as he is not keen on joining Newcastle this summer.