Callum Wilson has two years remaining on his deal at Newcastle United, but the Mirror say the Magpies are planning contract talks that could see him commit his future beyond 2024.
The 30-year-old, who joined Newcastle from Bournemouth in 2020, finished as Newcastle’s top goalscorer in 2020/21 (12 goals) and 2021/22 (8 goals), so he’s a player Eddie Howe will want to keep.
Whether Newcastle will want Wilson beyond him turning 32 remains to be seen, however, as he’s been injured a lot and may not be a regular in two years.
Noel Whelan believes the Magpies should hold off on contract talks until they see how Wilson fares this season. He told Football Insider: “He’s really struggled with injury and with availability during his time at Newcastle.
“A new contract is probably on the cards, but I would have thought that would be discussed around the January window. You need to keep that hunger in a player, keep him working hard.
“When it gets to a year and a half left, and he’s had a great first half of the season – that is when clubs usually think about pulling the trigger and rewarding a player.
“But Newcastle don’t want to start losing players and they’re thinking with this two-year plan to try and keep this squad together. They’re covering their bases. Hopefully he can start the season strongly if he does end up being given a new deal.”
Wilson being Newcastle’s top goalscorer in his first two seasons on Tyneside means he adds value to the squad, but he’s missed 32 league games due to injury already, so Eddie Howe can’t fully rely on him.
Newcastle are expected to sign another striker this summer to take the scoring burden off Wilson while Joelinton could revert to the role after impressing last season.
Whelan might have a point about waiting to see how Wilson fared before tying him down for the long term.
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