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Newcastle United are set to begin talks with Joe Willock and Jacob Murphy over extending their contracts at St James’ Park, according to reports.

The Daily Mail claim that the decision has been made after the Magpies turned down offers for both players before the transfer window closed.

Turkish giants Besiktas are believed to have tabled an offer in the region of £17m for Willock, while a bid from Nottingham Forest for Murphy worth £15m was also rejected.

The pair have less than a year remaining on their current deals, so as things stand, they will be able to hold talks with foreign clubs about moving on a free transfer next summer as soon as January.

Why have Newcastle decided to keep them?

The club have reportedly opted to begin discussions over contract extensions following the intervention of head coach Matthias Jaissle.

After working with both Willock and Murphy, the German has made it clear that he wants them to stay.

Willock has been with the Magpies since signing from Arsenal just over 6 years ago, while Murphy has been at St James’ Park even longer, having arrived from Norwich in 2017.

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Both have made impressive starts to the season

Willock scored the second goal in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool on the opening day after coming on as a substitute. He also grabbed the winner versus Millwall in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.  Jaissle has picked him in his starting lineup in 4 of his first 5 matches in charge.

Murphy, meanwhile, has been used more sparingly. He was named in the starting lineup for both Carabao Cup ties, but he has only been given brief cameos off the bench so far in the Premier League.

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