Newcastle United official bid claim has left Eddie Howe perplexed amid contract uncertainty

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been left perplexed at reports linking Jamaal Lascelles with a move to Turkish giants Besiktas.

There has been a lot of noise from Turkey this week with suggestions that Besiktas had submitted a bid for Magpies' skipper and that officials were flying to England to conclude a deal.

Asked if that were true, Howe told NewcastleWorld: "I can tell you absolutely nothing. That’s one I’ve got no idea where that has come from. Jamaal is a big part of what we’re doing."

Lascelles is understood to be out of contract this summer but Howe has suggested that might not be the case.

"I need to have clarity on Jamaal’s contract situation but as I say, he’s a big part of our future," added Howe. "I’m not sure he is out of contract at the end of the season.”

The 30-year-old is into his ninth full season as a Newcastle player after joining from Nottingham Forest. Lascelles has amassed nearly 250 appearances, the majority of which have come as club captain.

He finds himself behind Fabian Schar and Sven Botman in the pecking order, although the centre-back has proven to be a dependable back-up having covered for Botman when he was sidelined with a knee injury between September and December.

Lascelles was recently quizzed about his future, and while he admitted to loving life at St James' Park, he did not confirm whether a new deal was in the pipeline.

"I absolutely love it here," Lascelles told Premier League Productions. "I've been here for a long time, I think it's eight years as captain. I've been here a really long time, not many players really do that. I love it.

"Now that I'm in the team and got a run of games, I feel in a really good place. We'll see, I'm just focusing on trying to do as well as I can."