Crystal Palace were urged to 'hang on to' Marc Guehi by a former Newcastle United scout because the England international could help the club make £130m this season.

Paul Montgomery worked under four different managers at Newcastle, including Sir Bobby Robson, and now acts as a scouting advisor for Crystal Palace, who demanded 'superstar money' for Guehi last summer. Newcastle ultimately stopped formally bidding for Guehi in the final weeks of the window after Crystal Palace's demands went beyond the club's limits and beyond what the Magpies felt they should be paying for a player with less than two years left on his contract.

Crystal Palace, as a result, missed out on potentially a club-record sale for Guehi and the Eagles have since turned down another big offer from Spurs. However, Montgomery suggested it was a risk worth taking given the huge windfall Crystal Palace could make if the club stay up this season.

READ MORE: Newcastle United urged to make Jonathan David move as Bryan Mbeumo stance emerges

READ MORE: Joe Willock investigation launched after sickening Newcastle United incident

"Speaking to the chairman, he didn't want him to leave and he said the fee was £70m because he didn't want it done," Montgomery told BBC Radio Newcastle. "Newcastle were in for him, Liverpool looked at the fee and said it was too much, but Newcastle came back.

"What I said to Steve was, 'You wanted £70m, but hang on to him as much as you can, because you'll still get £50m when he's got a year left [on his contract] at the end of the season. You'll lose £20m but you'll gain £130m because you'll stay in the league'."

Newcastle ended the summer in profit and look set to end the mid-season window in the black, too, following Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly's exits as the club's PSR situation continues to limit what Eddie Howe's team are able to do in the market. Although Newcastle did make some huge bids for Guehi last summer, it is worth noting that the Magpies would have potentially had to sanction a number of departures before the end of the current financial year in June if the defender had arrived.

That was not a situation Newcastle wanted to be in again after the black-and-whites had to scramble to avoid a PSR breach last summer. In fact, senior figures at the club have repeatedly stressed as much.