Fulham target visits Crystal Palace as £22m transfer talk swirls

Fulham and Crystal Palace transfer target Joe Willock spent part of the weekend at the south London club’s training ground on personal business amid rumours of a £22 million switch to the capital this summer.

TEAMtalk had carried reports that the Cottagers and the Eagles were monitoring a move for the 25-year-old, who is expected to leave St James’ Park this summer. Willock has another two years left on his deal in the North East but is not thought to be seen as a vital part of Eddie Howe’s plans at Newcastle United.

The former Arsenal man has started just 16 Premier League games for the Magpies over the past two seasons. The midfielder hasn’t been helped by injury niggles and hasn’t scored a league goal for the team since the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in February 2024.

Crystal Palace and Fulham linked with Newcastle United midfielder

Willock did score in the Carabao Cup against Nottingham Forest and a brace against Birmingham City in the FA Cup last term. The midfielder joined Newcastle United from Arsenal for £25 million in the summer of 2021 following a loan stint on Tyneside.

Willock faces competition from the likes of Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes and is not expected to rise above those players in the pecking order. As such, he is set to be allowed to leave the club and his experience is thought to be attractive to Crystal Palace and Fulham. Newcastle United are looking to free up space on the wage bill to recruit ahead of a return to the Champions League.

The midfielder has made 21 Europa League appearances in his career, scoring six goals, and could be an important addition to the Eagles squad ahead of their arrival in the tournament next season. Oliver Glasner’s men will have to fight competition from Fulham but may have had the chance to tempt Willock this weekend.

Joe Willock visits Crystal Palace

As spotted by the Shields Gazette, Willock took to Instagram over the weekend to share a short video from the Crystal Palace academy complex in Beckenham. The winger’s visit was personal business rather than transfer discussions but may have given the player a sneak peek at what the future could hold for him.

The Newcastle United man tagged Crystal Palace and W3 Sport in the post, explaining the reason for the visit. W3 Sport is an app designed for young footballers and co-founded by Willock alongside his brothers Chris and Matty. Willock was promoting the app at Palace with young players in action on the indoor training pitch.

Crystal Palace could be handed an advantage in any pursuit of Willock thanks to Newcastle United’s interest in Marc Guehi. The Gazette claims that a potential move for the centre-back in the opposite direction could be used as an ‘advantage’ over Willock negotiations. Fulham cannot offer Willock European football next season but are targeting qualification for Europe next term having narrowly missed out on a place this season.

In other news, Crystal Palace and Leeds United already sent assurances over Millwall transfer.