Newcastle United head into January transfer window primed to kick on and nail down a place in the Premier League's top-four. Eddie Howe's side have won their last four games on the bounce to close the gap to the Champions League qualification place to just three points.

The Magpies have leapfrogged Manchester City, Aston Villa and Spurs in recent weeks and are hot on the tails of Enzo Maresca's Chelsea. Though Howe's side won't consider themselves in the race for the Premier League title, they're just three points behind the Blues who have been tipped to go all the way and 13 points behind Arne Slot's Liverpool.

Returning to European football remains the main focus for the current campaign and strengthening Howe's squad this month could play a major part in that outcome. However, Newcastle's battle to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules has limited their spending power.

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With that in mind, ChronicleLive has taken a look at the club's current PSR, also known as financial fair play (FFP) stance and the latest on potential incomings and outgoing transfers ahead of what could be a busy month.

Newcastle United's FFP stance and Eddie Howe reveal

Newcastle were given a major PSR boost last month thanks to the impressive STACK fan zone on Strawberry Place. Chronicle Live understands that the STACK had clocked up profits of around £400,000 in the week leading up to Christmas alone with numbers over £1.5million potentially going into the coffers last month.

Despite that health influx in the coffers, Black and White chiefs are adamant they'll have to trade players in order to unlock the club's full spending power.

Sporting director, Paul Mitchell, recently speaking at a STACK event, said: “We have to continue to develop players to enhance our revenue streams because that’s how we’re going to get to where we want to as quickly as possible. The trading model has become an important element of the modern game."

Howe also revealed the club needed to sell players in order to reinvest into their current squad, which raised questions among supporters after the very public Marc Guehi chase last summer.

“The days when teams don’t sell big players are gone,” said Howe ahead of last month's trip to Brentford. “I think our revenue streams aren’t where we want them to be. We’re still trying to grow them, so I think that trading in and out is going to be essential.

“Hopefully it’s not going to be players that we’re forced to sell but you can’t guarantee anything. The issue with PSR and our position is that nothing is clearcut. Nothing is absolutely fixed; there will be lots of twists and turns in January. But we want to try and improve the squad.”

Back in September, the club's chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone told Chronicle Live: "It is not going to happen overnight. Maybe it is a better question for Darren Eales on the realisation of ambition and timeline. We are playing catch up that's for sure. Being in Japan and seeing the passion and intensity of that fanbase, I wish we could have been doing that earlier.

"There was a fan who had a Shola Ameobi shirt from 24 years ago. If only we had engaged with them earlier we might not have been having to catch up so rapidly. Our fanbase might be slightly bigger. Our job is now to grow that fanbase, internationally.

"We are catching up and our timeline to catch up on the pitch we are doing an incredible job. Off the pitch, it takes time to keep speed with on the pitch because the job Eddie Howe and the football team are doing is at breakneck speed."

Potential incomings reliant on outgoings

Chronicle Live understands that any potential incomings this month will be dependent on outgoings from St. James' Park, making transfer business difficult. However, if a number of players are to leave the club this window, it could unlock some vital spending power.

Miguel Almiron has been linked with a number of clubs in the United States and Brazil, while Sean Longstaff and Martin Dubravka are also reportedly attracting interest.

Newcastle remain interested in Burnley shot stopper James Trafford, though that would only be the case if Dubravka were to move on this month.

There remains plenty of interest in Magpies main man Alexander Isak, but Newcastle are adamant they won't be selling their star striker this month. Arsenal have been repeatedly linked with the Swedish international, but his astronomical asking price would likely keep the Gunners at bay.

Manchester City are also said to be keen on a move for Anthony Gordon in a latest transfer twist, but the Toon are in a strong position when it comes to transfer negotiations having tied the England international down to a long-term deal earlier this season. The club fended off interest from Liverpool over the summer and although they've agreed new terms, interest in the winger is still there.

Newcastle have also been linked with defensive reinforcements, with former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori emerging as a potential target according to the latest reports, while RC Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov has also been linked with a move to St. James' Park.