Joe Willock has again been linked with a departure from St James’ Park as his contract at Newcastle United approaches its end, and the president of Besiktas has reiterated his intention to pursue the midfielder after a proposed £17m move collapsed during the summer transfer window.
The Turkish Super Lig club had appeared close to securing Willock for a fee reported at £17m, but the transfer did not go through before the window closed.
Willock is now in the final year of his deal on Tyneside, which means he is able to enter negotiations with overseas clubs in January over a pre-contract agreement that would allow him to join Besiktas on a free transfer when his Newcastle contract expires in the summer.
Newcastle must therefore decide how to handle the remainder of his contract after a strong opening to the campaign under head coach Matthias Jaissle.
Besiktas president Serdar Adali has stated that he would push to sign the player when the mid-season window opens, having previously declined to meet Newcastle’s £20m valuation during the summer.
Speaking to TRT Spor, Adali indicated that the pursuit of Willock remained the priority for the Turkish side’s coaching staff.
He said opportunities to sign other high-profile players had arisen but were not pursued, adding that Willock was the player the head coach particularly wanted and that, should the move materialise, it would happen, but no alternative targets had been identified if the deal fell through again.
Those remarks followed earlier comments in which Adali confirmed Willock had been the primary target missed during the previous window.
He noted that the player’s contract runs until the end of the season, that a pre-contract arrangement could be reached during the January window, and that Newcastle had held out for a £20m fee.
Adali also mentioned that the player had selected a property and held video discussions with members of the Besiktas coaching setup on multiple occasions.
Willock, who is 27, has featured prominently for Newcastle since the end of the transfer window, scoring two goals in five Premier League appearances as the club’s form has improved in the early stages of the season.