Arsenal to profit from former Gunner’s proposed £17m move

The Chronicle report that Besiktas have made a fresh attempt to sign Joe Willock, with the player already having agreed terms on a four-year contract with the Super Lig side.

Newcastle United already turned down a £10m offer in July, and they’ve been holding out for £17m. But there are growing suggestions Besiktas could be willing to offer that kind of fee.

That would be good news for Arsenal, with The Chronicle adding that the Gunners will be entitled to 10% of the fee, due to a sell-on clause in Willock’s contract.

Chris Waugh reported for The Athletic last month that Willock is available for a transfer away from Newcastle, having reached the final year of his contract in the north-east.

The former Gunner has been playing for Newcastle since February 2021, joining on an initial loan deal before making his transfer from Arsenal permanent that summer.

The midfielder has gone on to make 183 appearances for Newcastle, which is more than twice as many senior appearances as he made for Arsenal. Most recently, he netted in his team’s opening-day draw with Liverpool.

Willock made 39 of those Newcastle appearances in 2025/26, but he wasn’t a regular starter. He only made the starting lineup 18 times, and five of those matches were in the domestic cups.

Across the Premier League and Champions League games, Willock started just 26% of Newcastle’s 50 matches.

A move would probably be the best thing for the 26-year-old’s career, but he’ll want to find the right club.