Done deal - Newcastle United flop agrees to join new club in 2025 after contract snub

The 25-year-old has returned to his home country Peru to join top division side Atletico Grau for the 2025 season. Vilca joined Newcastle in 2020, signing a four-year deal that expired in the summer without him making a first-team appearance.

He spent the final year of his contract on loan at Serbian side Voždovac, suffering relegation. He also had a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers in League One and Universitario in Peru.

While he didn’t make his senior debut for The Magpies, Vilca featured 27 times for Newcastle’s Under-21s side after joining from Deportivo Municipal as a 21-year-old.

Athletico Grau confirmed a deal had been agreed with Vilca to join the club, with a statement on social media.

The club’s Instagram page posted: “Welcome to Piura, Rodrigo! After his step through Europe, the talented 25-year-old national midfielder, Rodrigo Vilca, joins the Heritage of Piura this 2025. Let's go Vilca! Let's go Grau!”

Vilca was one of several players released by Newcastle in the summer and is the latest to find a new club. Kell Watts joined Cambridge United, Matt Ritchie joined Portsmouth and Paul Dummett joined Wigan Athletic following their respective releases from Newcastle.

Goalkeeper Loris Karius and midfielder Jeff Hendrick remain without clubs five months after their contracts on Tyneside expired. But Vilca now has a new permanent home back in Peru as he looks to add to his 79 senior appearances accumulated over spells at Deportivo Municipal, Doncaster, Universitario and Voždovac over the last seven seasons.