Newcastle United star Joe Willock has been linked with a move away from St. James' Park, with his contract set to expire soon
Besiktas president Serdar Adali has made it clear he wants to sign Joe Willock.
Besiktas president Serdar Adali has made it clear he wants to sign Joe Willock.(Image: (Photo by Ferda Demir/Getty Images))
Besiktas president Serdar Adali has doubled down on his recent comments about Joe Willock as the Turkish side pushes to sign the Newcastle United star this season. The Super Lig side looked certain to sign the Magpies midfielder in a £17m deal during the summer, before the deal fell through.
Willock is in the final year of his contract at St. James' Park and will be able to negotiate a move to Besiktas in January as part of a pre-contract agreement, meaning he can leave Newcastle on a free in the summer.
Newcastle have a decision to make regarding his future after he made a bright start to the season under Matthias Jaissle. Nevertheless, Adali claims he would definitely sign the midfielder in January, after refusing to match Newcastle's £20m asking price.
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Now in a fresh interview, Adali told TRT Spor: "Opportunities to sign star players came our way, but we didn’t even consider them. We stuck to our program.
"We executed 90% of the transfer list we had drawn up. We didn’t receive any response from the clubs we were in talks with until the World Cup ended.
"He is a player the coach really wants. I am persistent regarding Willock. The coach hasn’t complained that we failed to sign him. I will go and hold talks again during the mid-season break.
"If it happens, it happens. If not, the coach hasn’t made a specific demand to sign anyone else right now."
Newcastle United's Joe Willock celebrates scoring against Hull City
Newcastle United's Joe Willock celebrates scoring against Hull City(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Those comments are a little less forceful than previous discussions about a move for Willock, but the Besiktas president has certainly doubled down on his desire
"Joe Willock was the player the coach wanted but whom we missed out on," Adali said last week. "His contract expires at the end of the season.
"He can sign during the mid-season break. They had asked for £20m. We can sign him in January—and I will sign him. There were players we couldn’t acquire in the summer. Our coach wanted Willock.
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"From day one, it was ‘Willock, Willock…’ No one knows this, but I brought Willock’s entire extended family to Istanbul.
"They picked out a house, and they held video calls with coach Italiano and coach Önder at least ten times. Furthermore, we visited the player in person twice."
Willock's future remains uncertain, with the club weighing up whether or not to offer him a new contract. The midfielder's displays have been one of the success stories for the Magpies this season. Having looked certain to be leaving Tyneside in the summer, the 27-year-old has emerged as a key player under Jaissle, scoring two times in five Premier League matches.