Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Transfers
Finance expert issues verdict on Newcastle selling Alexander Isak to afford Marc Guehi
Newcastle United only narrowly dodged a PSR breach for 2023-24, but they now appear to be gearing up to fund another major new signing in Marc Guehi.
Magpies boss Eddie Howe is believed to be a big fan of the Crystal Palace centre-back, who impressed for England at the Euros this summer.
After seeing an initial offer rejected, it is being reported that Newcastle have launched a second bid for Guehi today.
With a deal believed to be close, he would become Newcastle’s third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Lewis Hall and Odysseas Vlachodimos for £28m and £20m respectively.
However, the Vlachodimos deal with Nottingham Forest, which saw Elliott Anderson move the other way, is believed to have been inflated in order to provide a short-term PSR boost.
Valued at around £60m, Guehi would likely be Newcastle’s marquee signing of the summer – and certainly their most expensive.
Newcastle‘s £70m financial loss in 2021-22 has now dropped off the three-year PSR calculation, but CEO Darren Eales has warned that spending regulations very much remain a present concern.
Speaking exclusively to TBR, Liverpool University football finance lecturer Kieran Maguire said Newcastle need to move towards a player trading model, as opposed to being a buying club.
That might reinforce fears some Newcastle fans have that one of their most prized assets – Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon – could be sold this summer.
- READ MORE NEWCASTLE UNITED NEWS: Newcastle open talks to sign £25m forward compared to Aubameyang after Marc Guehi bid
Finance expert’s stance on Newcastle selling Isak to afford Guehi
Alexander Isak has been courted by elite clubs like Arsenal for some time and would, like his teammate Bruno Guimaraes, likely fetch a £100m fee.
Newcastle have been very clear that they do not want to see the Swedish centre-forward leave.
Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes tensions between Newcastle and Arsenal have made a deal for Isak even less likely.
However, while the window remains open, there will still be lingering anxieties at St James’ Park that Isak could have his head turned.
And with the club seemingly about to splash £60m-plus on Guehi, can the Magpies afford not to sell him while his stock is so high?
According to former Man City advisor and football finance expert Stefan Borson speaking via , that is not an immediate concern.
However, Borson did say that Newcastle will likely ‘see how the season evolves financially and then act’.
TBR Analysis: Will Newcastle comply with PSR this season?
‘How the season evolves financially’ will depend on Newcastle’s performances on the pitch and their commercial outlook.
TV revenue is pretty much set in stone, although it will vary somewhat as Newcastle are given facility fees each time they are on domestic TV.
Similarly, Newcastle are likely to sell out St James’ Park almost 100 per cent of the time, so that will have already been budgeted for in terms of PSR.
Commercial income, however, is not fixed.
The club can strike new deals throughout the season, giving them more PSR headroom.
Their most lucrative sponsorship assets – kit, front-of-shirt and sleeve – are already taken, but the club can still make incremental gains in this department.
It is difficult to imagine a scenario similar to what we saw earlier this summer, with Newcastle scrambling to make sales to comply with PSR before 30th June.
One would imagine that there will be more contingency planning in place.
And, in any case, the Premier League are expected to a new squad cost control system from 2025-26, so Newcastle may be operating in a completely different PSR environment anyway.