Newcastle United reject £20m offer from Premier League side for fringe player with uncertain future
Newcastle United have a couple of players who they feel they could have let go this month, but as the window draws to a close it seems the club are having a rethink.
Joe Willock and Jamaal Lascelles were both thought to be available for transfer in January with Crystal Palace and Leeds United having shown interest in Willock and reports of a move to Turkey still following Lascelles.
However, journalist Ben Jacobs has posted on X this morning that it is Fulham who have made the first move for Joe Willock but have seen their £20 million bid rejected by Newcastle.
Crystal Palace and Leeds were led to believe that £20 million would be enough to secure Willock's services, so it makes sense that this would be the figure offered by Fulham, but it seems that time is the issue here, not money.
Fulham want Joe Willock and have offered £20 million
Willock is thought to be keen on the move too, so the only real obstacle here is that it doesn't give Newcastle enough time to bring in a replacement.
A midfielder was on Newcastle's wishlist this month, but the club has dawdled along in the transfer market once again, and now they're likely to miss out on a £20 million payday because of it.
Not to mention, Eddie Howe would get to clear off one of the least effective players from the squad.
Just say yes and be done with it
Joe Willock rolled back the years on Wednesday night and played a blinder against Paris Saint-Germain, but that is the one performance out of far too many that tipped the scales into a positive.
For too long now, Willock has been well below the standards we expect, and indeed the standards we all know he's capable of.
If it were up to us, we'd take the money and let him go. It's a risk if we can't bring in a replacement immediately, but on the flip side, it gives us more money for the summer. Who's to say we'd get £20 million for him in six months' time?
