Arsenal Set for Cash Boost as Joe Willock Nears Besiktas Move

Arsenal’s summer rebuild could receive a timely, unexpected lift from a player who left north London three years ago.

Joe Willock, once a Hale End hopeful and later a £25million sale to Newcastle United, is closing in on a move to Besiktas that is set to trigger a sell-on clause negotiated by the Gunners in 2021.

A smart clause comes back into play

When Arsenal sanctioned Willock’s permanent move to St. James’ Park after his explosive loan spell, the headline figure was the £25m fee. Quietly tucked into that agreement, though, was a sell-on clause that now looks ready to pay out.

Football.london reports that Arsenal inserted the clause as part of the deal with Newcastle, meaning any fee the Magpies receive from Besiktas will be partially shared with the Gunners. The exact percentage remains undisclosed, but with Willock poised for a £17.4m transfer, it is not small change.

Newcastle have already turned down a £10m offer earlier in the summer. Besiktas have come back stronger, and this time the move is edging closer.

Willock’s Newcastle chapter winds down

At 26, Willock is entering the final year of his contract on Tyneside. Newcastle, operating under the constant glare of financial regulations and looking to refresh their squad, are ready to cash in rather than risk losing him for nothing in 12 months.

ChronicleLive reports that Willock’s agent has been in Turkey to advance talks, with personal terms allegedly agreed with Besiktas. That leaves the clubs to finalise the details and, once they do, Arsenal stand to profit.

Willock has been a steady presence for Newcastle since his arrival, making 168 appearances and scoring 11 goals. His blistering loan spell in 2021, when he scored in seven consecutive Premier League games, earned him cult-hero status at St. James’ Park and forced Newcastle’s hand in the market. The permanent move followed, and with it, Arsenal’s quietly-inserted clause.

From Hale End to Istanbul – and back to Arsenal’s balance sheet

Willock’s story is intertwined with both clubs. He broke into Arsenal’s first team in 2017 and marked his Premier League debut with a goal against Newcastle in April 2018, a neat twist given how his career would later loop back through Tyneside.

Across four seasons in Arsenal colours, he made 78 appearances and scored 11 goals. When he departed in 2021, it felt like a clean break for a young midfielder in need of regular minutes. Now, that decision looks even more astute from Arsenal’s financial perspective.

The sell-on clause means Mikel Arteta’s side are set to benefit once more from a player who has not worn their shirt in years.

Fuel for a title defence

Arsenal’s summer has already been aggressive. Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Bruno Guimaraes have arrived as the club arms itself for a Premier League title defence.

That level of ambition is expensive. Every extra pound matters, especially when Arsenal are still hunting for a left-winger to complete their attacking puzzle.

They have already felt the sting of the market. Morgan Rogers, strongly linked, ended up at Chelsea. Vinicius Junior, an audacious target, committed his future to Real Madrid with new terms. The search goes on.

Any additional income from Willock’s move to Besiktas will not transform Arsenal’s budget on its own, but it can sharpen their hand in negotiations, tip a fee over the line, or help with wages for a marquee wide signing.

A clause agreed in 2021, almost forgotten outside boardroom circles, now feeds directly into Arsenal’s 2024 title push.

For a club built on youth development and smarter trading, that is exactly the kind of echo they want to hear from their past.