Newcastle United may have to pay close to £30m to land Joe Willock this summer, despite the player’s openness to a return.

Chronicle Live report that Newcastle United have registered their interest in Joe Willock with Arsenal, but a transfer won’t come easy.

For a start, it seems Arsenal haven’t made any firm decisions on Willock’s future. They’re still assessing their options at this stage, and their willingness to sell Willock will depend on who they manage to bring in.

Even if they decide the best option is a sale, sources in North London reportedly feel Newcastle would have to pay as much as £30m.

The 21-year-old himself is open to a return, and his family were impressed with Newcastle’s handling of him on loan.

Willock ended his loan spell in top form. He won the Premier League Player of the Month award for May, and he scored seven goals in his final seven games for Newcastle.

David Ornstein has already confirmed Arsenal wouldn’t even consider a bid of less than £20m. A deal will now depend on whether Newcastle are willing to offer significantly more than that, and whether Mikel Arteta is willing to let Willock go.