NEWCASTLE UNITED are increasingly confident of being able to complete the loan signing of Joe Willock from Arsenal.

Magpies officials have been discussing Willock's position with their counterparts at the Emirates for most of the afternoon.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has just completed a loan switch from Arsenal to West Brom - and the Newcastle hierarchy expect to be able to wrap up Willock's move to Tyneside shortly.

Willock will sign on loan for the remainder of the season - and there have been suggestions that Arsenal will agree to a deal that will see him automatically return to Tyneside for the whole of the 2021-22 season if all parties agree.

However, Mikel Arteta still sees Willock having a future at Arsenal, so the agreement will not contain a clause for a permanent deal.

Newcastle held weekend talks with Celtic over Olivier Ntcham, but while the midfielder looks certain to leave Parkhead ahead of tonight's 11pm deadline, he is expected to move to France to join Marseille.

The Magpies had also hoped to land Leicester's Hamza Choudhury, but with the Foxes struggling in their own pursuit of Watford's Nathaniel Chalobah, the prospects of Choudhury leaving the King Power Stadium today have receded significantly.