Newcastle United 'firm up' transfer talks after mini summit with PIF in Riyadh

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe and sporting director Paul Mitchell held a mini transfer summit with Toon chiefs during their visit to Saudi Arabia last week.

The Magpies will have money to spend in the January but how much will depend on PSR demands and potential outgoing business, with goalkeeper Martin Dubravka already being tipped for a winter exit. However, Howe is expected to hold further transfer discussions with chiefs at St James' Park in the next fortnight.

When asked if the visit to Riyadh, the home of Newcastle's wealthy backers PIF, had included any recruitment meetings, Howe said: "Loose discussions I would say. We will sit down in the next couple of weeks and firm up those conversations with a more detailed analysis of where we are going to go, or where we can go."

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Despite having some funds to spend, there are strong vibes coming out of St James' Park that player sales are going to be needed to balance the squad. Howe hinted at such business himself and said: "It’s not as straightforward as maybe everyone will think it’s going to be, this is going to be a complex window for us.

"There are lots of decisions to make in lots of different ways. We are always mindful of the fact we have to comply with PSR."

With Mitchell sitting alongside CEO Darren Eales, financial chief Simon Capper and commercial director Peter Silverstone at a fan event last week he said that he was knocking on the door to help bolster recruitment every day ahead of future transfer windows.

He said: "A big part of my role is making these guys' lives on stage a living nightmare to ascertain as much cash as we can in very strategic ways to invest in the first-team and the women's and the Academy moving forward."