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Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock is edging closer to a move to Turkish side Beşiktaş, according to Turkish journalist Yağiz Sabuncuoğlu (via SB Nation). He claims that Willock is the “primary target” for the club, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Conor Gallagher. The two clubs have been negotiating for several weeks and have struggled to agree a fee, but now it seems that a breakthrough might be close. The two clubs are reportedly close to agreeing a deal worth £17.4m. Willock “Warmly Inclined Toward Beşiktaş” Newcastle have been playing hardball with the Super Lig club for a while. They initially demanded £26m, but Beşiktaş held firm, refusing to pay over the odds for the midfielder. Sabuncuoğlu claims that Beşiktaş are prepared to do a deal if a figure close to £17m can be agreed, and that Willock is open to the move to Türkiye. “As I’ve said it before, Joe Willock is already very warmly inclined toward Beşiktaş,” he said on X. “If it reaches the €20m [£17.4m] level, Beşiktaş will seal the deal for Joe Willock.” Willock is in the last year of his six-year contract, which may explain why Newcastle are willing to drop their asking price. He has made 129 appearances for the club, scoring six goals, but his game time has been limited in recent seasons by fitness issues and competition for places. He has featured in pre-season, scoring in Newcastle’s 3-0 victory over Darlington, but his future looks uncertain under new boss Matthias Jaissle. Willock faces competition from younger players like Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba, and Newcastle’s need for reinforcements after losing Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, and Anthony Gordon could push him down the pecking order. The deal could depend on how quickly Newcastle get those reinforcements in. They have been turned down by Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after failing to agree personal terms, so are looking at other targets. Newcastle’s midfield is short of experience after losing Tonali, Guimarães, and Gordon in such a short space of time, so Willock may have to stay on if Newcastle’s struggle to recruit replacements continues.