Newcastle United know they need to sell players to make their summer transfer plans come true.
While Newcastle United are not under pressure from PSR, there is an acceptance that player trading is essential to enhance Eddie Howe’s transfer budget.
That could result in some surprising exits from St James’ Park between now and the end of the summer.
It has been reported that Sean Longstaff is expected to leave Newcastle United, and he is not the only Toon midfielder who could be on his way out of the club.
Joe Willock rumoured to leave Newcastle United
According to the Daily Mail, two midfielders are expected to be sold by the Magpies this summer.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
As well as Longstaff, the Daily Mail report that Joe Willock is at risk of being moved on four years after his permanent arrival on Tyneside.
Newcastle United paid £25million to sign Willock from Arsenal in 2021. He was the last major signing made by Mike Ashley before PIF bought the club.
Now he could be sold, with Crystal Palace interested in Willock.
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How Sean Longstaff compared Joe Willock to other Newcastle United midfielders
Over the past couple of seasons, Willock’s influence at St James’ Park has waned.
He is no longer as important in black and white, with injuries massively stunting his Newcastle United career.
Fans were frustrated with Willock towards the end of the 2024/25 season. The 25-year-old had a chance to make a difference in the absence of Joelinton, but struggled to remind supporters why he was once considered so important in the North East.
Willock made 41 appearances in total, scoring three goals and providing two assists. Of those 41 appearances, only 16 of them were starts.
The former Arsenal man does not stand out as much as he once did in Howe’s midfield. The trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton are unrivalled in the middle of the park, with Willock not pushing any of them for a spot in the starting XI.
Interestingly, it was less than two years that Sean Longstaff said Willock made Newcastle a better team.
Ahead of a return from injury, Longstaff said in October 2023: “I could sit here all day and tell you how good he is. Even watching him in training this week, he looks like he’s not missed a minute.
“I’m really excited to have Willy back. We know how important he is for us. The team plays its best when Willy plays and he’s able to drift. No one can do what he does in our team, in terms of the way he moves with the ball and how confident he is with it.”
In the summer of 2025, Newcastle could be planning for a future without the man who once made them better.