What Eddie Howe did when asked about 'very close' Newcastle United transfer agreement claim

The winter market is less than two weeks away from opening and reports in Belgium this week have claimed the Magpies are close to reaching an agreement with PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko.

Voetbal Krant claims ‘very positive’ talks have taken place between Newcastle and Bakayoko’s representatives, and that an agreement in principle regarding personal terms ‘very close’.

But when asked if United reports of a signing being close were true, Howe replied: “On an incoming? Yeah it does [surprise me], he laughed. “Because that’s not the reality. We’re not close.

“As I said earlier, discussions on January have been very loose because we know we’re in a position where we are restricted to what we can and can’t do. For me, the focus is on coaching the team.

“There hasn’t been many discussions in great depth about January,” Howe added. “And that’s because we’ve got a lot of games and our focus is on the matches and we’re restricted to a degree to what we can and can’t do.

“I don’t think that is our main focus at the moment, certainly not mine anyway. But we’re aware January is around the corner and we’ll need to be reactive and ready to do certain things I’m sure.”

Newcastle’s spending continues to be restricted by Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), while January is a notoriously difficult window to deal in. So, what will have to happen for a new signing to arrive?

“I think everything has got to align, I think there has got to be a lot of things that come together for us to do that,” Howe told NewcastleWorld. “As I've said many times, it's not through a lack of desire or want from me or any anyone connected with the club to do that but it's got to be right, not just for the here and now but for the future as well. We've got to be responsible to make sure any decision we make doesn't affect us in future windows as well.”