Newcastle United suffer fresh transfer ‘blow’ with £85m demand as FFP ‘limits’ Eddie Howe’s plans

Newcastle United will already be preparing for the new season after a superb campaign of last.

The Magpies are headed for the Champions League next season, and they are going to need a number of new signings to stand up to the test of Europe’s toughest competition. Eddie Howe’s squad has already improved significantly over recent times, but even more new signings will be required for Newcastle to take the next step.

In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news surrounding St James’ Park.

Tierney problem

Newcastle may be restricted from paying big money for signings this summer, potentially ruining some of Howe’s reported plans.

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney is on Newcastle’s preferred list of targets, but FFP restrictions mean their budget will be limited to around £75million this summer. With Tierney set to cost around £30million, Newcastle may need to look elsewhere for a left-back if they cannot reduce the fee or agree a loan arrangement.

Newcastle have spent a significant amount over recent years, and with no significant organic income - in other words, income that did not come from their owners’ pockets - their spending limit over a five-year period will be limited.

Gvardiol latest

Based on the report above, it’s probably a good thing Newcastle have been dealt a blow in their bid to sign Croatia star Josko Gvardiol. According to Sport, treble winners Manchester City are concentrating on signing Gvardiol this summer as they look to replace Aymeric Laporte, who is likely to leave. The report claims RB Leipzig will sell Gvardiol this summer, but they are said to want a world-record fee for a centre-back.

With that in mind, it seems the deal was not one Newcastle would have been able to pull off even if City were not involved. Leipzig are said to want close to €100million (£85million) for the player who is set to have a new release clause of £100million from next campaign.