Newcastle United transfer U-turn made official after foreign move lined up

Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock had a deal lined up to join Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas this summer.

The Turkish transfer window remains open until 10pm tonight, but Willock is not expected to leave Newcastle after being named in the club’s official Premier League squad list.

It comes after a promising start to the season for the 26-year-old, which saw him end a two-year wait for a Premier League goal in the opening-day draw with Liverpool at St James’ Park. New head coach Matthias Jaissle has seen Willock’s value to the squad in his first month in charge despite the player being made available to potentially leave the club earlier in the window.

Willock is now into the final year of his contract at St James’ Park and will be available to leave on a free at the end of the season unless he signs a new deal. Turkish side Besiktas agreed terms with the former Arsenal man but Newcastle would not green-light the move having already lost Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali from their midfield as well as Joelinton to injury.

The additions of Nico Gonzalez, Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have bolstered Newcastle’s numbers in midfield. But Willock's experience and versatility to play further forward has seen him step up into a more prominent role in Jaissle’s new-look squad.

Instead of heading to Turkey, Willock is now preparing for Newcastle’s Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth at St James’ Park on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off). The Magpies will be looking to continue their unbeaten start to the new season.

When asked about Willock’s situation, Jaissle said: “I think now we have a well-balanced squad. The lads [Willock and Jacob Murphy] were doing good in the pre-season, they showed their quality, and I think they still have potential to even do better.

“Therefore, we made the decision that this is the final squad.”

Your next Newcastle United read: Nico Gonzalez makes huge transfer claim after joining NUFC