Arsenal 10% clause could activate with Newcastle sale
Arsenal could receive another financial boost this summer if Joe Willock completes a move away from Newcastle United, with the Gunners entitled to a percentage of any transfer fee agreed for their former academy graduate.
Newcastle remain in discussions with Turkish side Besiktas over the midfielder’s future after rejecting a £10 million offer in July.
According to The Journal, the Magpies are holding out for around £17 million, a figure that would also increase Arsenal’s return because the club negotiated a 10 per cent sell-on clause when Willock left north London.
Willock joined Newcastle on a permanent deal in August 2021 after an outstanding loan spell during the second half of the previous season.
The transfer was reported at £25 million, although contemporary reports suggested the guaranteed fee was closer to £20 million with performance-related add-ons.
For Arsenal, it was one of the club’s most successful academy sales. Having come through Hale End after joining as a four-year-old, Willock made 78 senior appearances and scored 11 goals before departing in search of regular first-team football.
His Arsenal career included a senior debut against Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup in 2017, while he also featured under both Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
He became the club’s youngest player to start a competitive match since 2011 when selected against Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League in 2018, but fierce competition in midfield meant he never established himself as a regular Premier League starter.
Willock later admitted leaving Arsenal was difficult after spending almost his entire life at the club.
Reflecting on the decision, he also said: “I wasn’t valued at Arsenal.” He also explained that the opportunity offered by Steve Bruce convinced him Newcastle was the right destination.
After arriving on loan in February 2021, Willock transformed Newcastle’s season by scoring eight goals in 14 Premier League appearances, helping the club pull clear of relegation trouble.
He also equalled Alan Shearer’s club record by scoring in seven consecutive Premier League matches, performances that persuaded Newcastle to complete a permanent transfer for an amount well above his value.
Five years later, Newcastle are prepared to cash in, but their insistence on securing a higher fee is not only designed to maximise their own return.
Any increase in the eventual transfer price would also benefit Arsenal through the sell-on clause agreed in 2021, giving the Premier League champions another welcome injection of funds if Besiktas, or another interested club, meet Newcastle’s valuation.