The latest transfer talk from Newcastle United as a Magpies star is the subject of comments from a club president.

Joe Willock’s future at Newcastle United is yet to be decided as the in-form midfielder heads into the final months of his current contract.

The 27-year-old appeared to be close to bringing an end to his five-and-a-half year stay on Tyneside during the summer months, with Newcastle believed to be open to offers from interested parties. Despite links with the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and Turkish giants Besiktas, Willock remained part of Matthias Jaissle’s squad when the summer transfer window closed.

And he has impressed under the new Magpies head coach. After scoring in the opening-day draw with Liverpool, Willock doubled his Premier League tally for the season in the win against Hull City and also grabbed the only goal as United edged past Championship club Millwall in a Carabao Cup third round tie.

Besiktas head coach Vincenzo Italiano (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

placeholder image — Besiktas head coach Vincenzo Italiano (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

There have been some suggestions Newcastle could look to hand the midfielder a new deal - but reports in Turkey have suggested Besiktas remain keen on securing Willock’s services.

Club president Serdal Adali has revealed Turkish officials met with the United star during the summer and vowed to complete a deal over the coming months when the midfielder ventures into the final six months of his contract and can negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a club outside of England.

Speaking over the weekend, the Besiktas supremo told Milliyet: “There were players we couldn’t sign in the summer. Our manager wanted Willock. From day one, it was Willock, Willock. Nobody knows this, but I brought Willock’s whole family to Istanbul.

“They picked out a house, and they had video calls with Italiano and Onder [Ozen, Besiktas director of football] at least ten times. Furthermore, we went to see the player in person twice. His contract ends at the end of the season. He can sign a pre-contract in the winter.

“They had asked for £20 million. We can sign him in January – in fact, I will sign him. The only player the manager wanted that we missed out on was Joe Willock. We genuinely need someone there.”

Besiktas’ determination to sign Willock could force Newcastle into action and push to tie the midfielder down to a new deal in order to avoid losing him for nothing as early as January.

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