Eddie Howe transfer dilemma as Newcastle United receive intriguing offer and FFP solution

Besiktas have reportedly offered Jamaal Lascelles an escape route from Newcastle United this month. Game time has been limited on Tyneside since Eddie Howe brought Dan Burn to the club two years ago. That was shortly followed by Sven Botman’s arrival, with Burn switching to left-back and Fabian Schar becoming a mainstay as the other central defender.

Before that, Lascelles had been instrumental for almost seven seasons at St James’ Park. A young centre-back endeared Toon fans in April 2016 when, as a novice, he hit out at his teammates’ mentality following a 3-1 defeat to Southampton.

Newcastle were relegated a month later but Rafa Benitez had witnessed enough to hand Lascelles the armband. In the ensuing years, the now 30-year-old helped the Magpies secure promotion before solidifying themselves as a Premier League outfit.

Minutes under Howe have been few and far between but, due to injuries, he has made 14 top-flight appearances this season. Botman’s return has resulted in Lascelles dropping back to the bench - raising question marks about his future.

The skipper has less than six months remaining on his contract, meaning Newcastle can only expect a nominal fee from the Turkish giants. That would be enough to bolster their FFP powers, however, as Lascelles' original transfer fee has been fully amortised over the length of his contract.

An update from reporter Yagiz Sabuncuoglu claims Besiktas have made “an official offer” for the Newcastle captain. Howe told reporters last month that Lascelles features in his long-term plans and was hopeful about him signing a new deal.

“I’m sure (there are) contract talks with Jamaal," he said. "I’m just trying to wrack my brain as to where his contract is at but I think he is part of our long-term future, for sure.

“Jamaal has done really, really well this season and his game has come on in lots of ways. Firstly, defensively, he has always been very strong aerially and you saw that recently against Fulham. His defensive understanding of what we want him to do has been very good from day one. His use of the ball has improved, he looks really comfortable in the team at the moment, and he’s playing some really good football.”