D-day for Callum Wilson and £15m flop gone - Official Newcastle statement imminent

When the clock passed midnight last night, Callum Wilson's contract at Newcastle United expired.

Jamal Lewis has officially left the club, with last month's official retained list confirming that the former Norwich City talent would finally end his five-year stint on Tyneside when his contract expired on June 30th.

In that statement, however, Newcastle revealed that discussions are taking place with Wilson and out-of-contract goalkeeper John Ruddy over potential new deals.

Almost four weeks on, Wilson and Ruddy will be free agents as of today, unless new deals have been negotiated behind the scenes.

Either way, an official announcement appears to be imminent, with Wilson the main focus as fans wait to find out if our No 9 has been given a one-year extension or thanked for his five years of service and moved on.

Should both depart and join Lewis on the free agent market, this will lower the age of the squad, trim the wage bill and free up some space in Eddie Howe's squad as we prepare to push for a number of new signings in July.

Wilson, 33, didn't score a single league goals last season, but with 49 goals and 11 assists in 130 outings, his £20m arrival from Bournemouth will go down as one of our most important buys of the Mike Ashley era.

His goals helped us stay up, then helped us kick on, with his 2022/23 campaign a career highlight as 18 goals in 31 league games played a huge role in our return to the UEFA Champions League.

So, if today is the first day in five years that Wilson is no longer a Mag, we'd like to thanks Callum and wish him all the best, whatever comes next in his career.