Premier League club confirms interest in signing Arsenal midfielder

Joe Willock's dazzling form in recent weeks has prompted Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce to make it clear that he wishes to keep the midfielder at St James' Park beyond the summer.

The England youth international joined the Geordies from Arsenal on a six-month loan in January after it was clear that he will not get regular game time at the Emirates.

Willock has not disappointed since making the switch, with the midfielder contributing key goals in recent games to help Newcastle get away from the relegation battle.

The 21-year-old has made nine appearances for Newcastle since joining in January and has contributed three goals thus far. Willock's first came in his first appearance for Bruce's side against Southampton in what was a 3-2 win.

After a short spell without finding the net, the attacking midfielder came off the bench to score a late equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur, which delighted not only the fans of the club in the northeast but also Arsenal fans around the world.

Willock's latest contribution came on Sunday when he came off the bench in the final 10 minutes of the game against West Ham United to score the winner and send Newcastle to 15^th place on the Premier League table but more importantly eight points clear of 18^th place Fulham.

Bruce was effusive in his praise of Willock and made it clear that he wants the midfielder at the club next season. However, the Englishman's form could prompt Arsenal to keep him at the Emirates rather than let him join a Premier League rival.

"We would love to keep him here. He is the type of player you'd love to build your club around. Whether we can or not I'm not quite sure," Bruce said when asked about Willock's future after Newcastle's 3-2 win over West Ham.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta also had his say about Willock's recent performances for Newcastle and believes regular minutes will help him continue his development, while he feels scoring vital goals will also help his progress as a player.

"Yeah, I'm really happy with Joe because he scored a massive goal for the club," Arteta said when asked about Willock's progress, as quoted on the Daily Express. "So, when he produces big moments like that it's very satisfying."

"Joe can do it he's got the ability and the desire and now he's having more consistency in terms of minutes and performances and that's great for his development," he added. "That's why we all believed it was the right thing for him to go on loan."