Newcastle United open to smashing transfer record as Sky Sports issue big Bryan Mbeumo update
Newcastle have gone three consecutive transfer windows without making a major signing and have instead resorted to selling players in order to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Last summer, United were forced to offload Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson to Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest, respectively, just hours before the PSR deadline on June 30.
There were further sales in January; Miguel Almiron re-joined Atlanta United while Lloyd Kelly’s loan move to Juventus has already turned permanent for £20million.
As a result, Newcastle are understood to be in a healthy position regarding PSR which should enable them to strengthen the first-team squad in the summer months.
Can Newcastle United break their transfer record this summer?
One of the positions Howe is keen to strengthen is right forward with Jacob Murphy, who is having an excellent season with nine goals and 14 assists, the only recognised out-and-out option.
The Magpies are huge admirers of Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo, with only Mohammed Salah (28), Alexander Isak (23), Erling Haaland (23) and Chris Wood (20) scoring more than the Cameroonian’s 18 in the Premier League this season.
Sky Sports News claim Brentford will only entertain offers in excess of £65m, meaning Newcastle would have to break their club-record transfer fee, which currently the £63m they paid for Isak from Real Sociedad in August 2022.
Asked by NewcastleWorld if the club would be able to spend say £65m on a single signing, Howe said: “We’ve not been afraid historically, if the money is there, to sign a big player, i.e. Alex [Isak].
“For me, that was big money at the time – still is big money in anyone’s world – but we felt he was the right player to spend that money on, so I’m more than happy to do that if that’s the right thing and it has the biggest effect for the team and for the squad.
“But I don’t think I can give you a clear answer now on what direction we will go because we don’t know everything that we need to know.”
The importance of Champions League qualification
As well as a right forward, Newcastle are looking at a centre-back, goalkeeper and striker.
The Magpies need one win from their remaining two games against Arsenal and Everton to secure Champions League qualification. A return to Europe’s top table is set to bolster the summer transfer budget, although Howe hasn’t confirmed that.
Speaking on Friday, Howe said: “I don’t know the intricacies of our financial position depending on Champions League qualification. I don’t think it changes too much in terms of our targets and who we look to try and sign, just because we’re trying to go for the best players in a very small pool of players to pick from.
“But obviously I think it’s where we want to be, it’s where we want to play. We want to be in the highest level competitions we can. We want to test ourselves to the absolute maximum and try and recreate those great nights here.”
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