There is no such thing as a free transfer. Not when you factor in wages, signing on fees and the sums agents are due. However, there is a reason why such deals have taken on renewed importance for Newcastle United in a PSR world after the Magpies attempted to sign Tosin Adarabioyo as well as Lloyd Kelly last summer.

"We were exploring a couple of free transfer deals that we feel could have certainly given us a bit more freedom," boss Eddie Howe said a few months ago. "When you're in our position, with PSR being very tight, you have to be creative.

"Your first look can't necessarily be the big financial signings and the big outlay of transfer fees and wages because you know there are future problems ahead and you're going to have to be smart and navigate your way through them."

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Do not be surprised, then, if Newcastle assess the free agent market once again this summer. There is clearly value to be had and Jonathan David is a case in point as the Lille star approaches the final months of his contract.

Newcastle would face real competition to sign David, who could command a bigger salary elsewhere, but you can see why Ligue 1's top scorer has so many admirers in the game. After all, only three players - Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe - registered more goals and assists in Europe's top leagues in 2024 while David has stepped up in the Champions League against elite opposition in Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Real Madrid in recent months. This is a character who has even turned up to train with Lille's squad players during scheduled recovery days because the 25-year-old is so obsessed with scoring goals.

You suspect that won't come as news to anyone at Newcastle. ChronicleLive revealed a high-level club employee even took in Lille's 2-1 win against Nice last week and Newcastle already know a lot about the Canada international. Former Canada boss John Herdman, who visited Newcastle's training ground last year, previously revealed he had a 'few good conversations' with head of recruitment Steve Nickson about 'some of the Canadian players' during his time in charge of the national team.

"They're on the radar," the Consett native told ChronicleLive as far back as 2022. "There's no doubt. We had a good chat about some of the Canadian players.

"They're on board, they're aware, they're doing their homework. They're aware of some of those younger guys that are starting to emerge. David Edgar was the last for a while and I dare say this World Cup and the World Cup in 2026 is going to raise the stock of Canadian players.

"While I'm still manager, I'll be supporting my local club to have those conversations. There would be nothing better for me than to watch my top players playing on a Saturday at the club I want to watch them play for."