Newcastle United made 'very surprising offer' for midfielder as 2029 deal already agreed
Baran Yildiz has reflected on his surprise move to Newcastle United earlier this year.
The 18-year-old joined Newcastle from Turkish club Gençlerbirliği in January, signing a four-and-a-half year deal.
The midfielder was named as part of Newcastle’s Under-21s squad for the second half of the 2024-25 season and represented the club at the Dallas Cup in April as part of an Under-19s squad.
Newcastle did not officially announce Yildiz’s arrival but the player himself posted images of himself in a Newcastle shirt at St James’ Park after representing the club in Dallas.
His Instagram post read: “I am very happy that I have stepped into the Premier League, the biggest league in the world, where I have been following my dream of for years, with a wonderful club with roots and traditions like Newcastle United.
“I would like to thank my family, my teachers and my Manager, my brother Batu Kaplan, our lawyer Anil Dinçer, my brother Rıza Köklü who have contributed greatly to making this dream of mine come true. This is a start and no one should doubt that I will work hard and represent my country [Turkey] and our flag the best way I can.”
Baran Yildiz ‘couldn’t believe’ Newcastle United transfer
After an initial settling-in period at Newcastle, Yildiz will be looking to make an impact during the 2025-26 campaign. Whether he will be making an impact at academy level or out on loan remains to be seen as Newcastle tend to favour loaning out young players who have arrived from abroad, such as Garang Kuol, Yankuba Minteh and Miodrag Pivas.
Yildiz joined Newcastle without making a first-team appearance for Gençlerbirligi. The youngster caught the eye while playing for the Turkish club’s Under-19s side.
Speaking to Fotomac, Yildiz admitted his surprise at securing a professional contract with a Premier League club at just 18.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “Actually, I didn’t expect anything like this at the age of 18.
“My dream was to play in the Super Lig [in Turkey] and leave, but I jumped that level directly. It was a very surprising offer for me as well.
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Newcastle United line-up more youth signings
Since Yildiz’s arrival earlier this year, Newcastle have agreed a pre-contract deal that will see Malaga winger Antonio Cordero join the club on a free transfer. The 18-year-old will likely be loaned out for the 2025-26 season.
The Magpies also signed Kyle Fitzgerald and Fraser Harper in January and have already agreed a deal that will see Georgian forward Vakhtang Salia arrive from Dinamo Tbilisi once he turns 18 in August.
And head coach Eddie Howe is keen to highlight the pathway for young players into his first-team squad at Newcastle. Lewis Miley, Trevan Sanusi and Alex Murphy have all had competitive minutes under Howe while players like Leo Shahar and Sean Neave have been involved in first-team training.
“Absolutely, the pathway is there for all the players in the various age groups beneath the first-team,” Howe explained.
"At the moment, we have Sean Neave and Leo Shahar training regularly with the first team and doing really well. I am really happy with them. So the window is open and we encourage that."