Newcastle United might need to be creative during the current January transfer window.
There is a need for the Magpies to bring in reinforcements, but that is not going to be easy.
Due to PSR, Newcastle must sell before they buy. And even if they do sell, there are still no guarantees that replacements will arrive.
It is a very delicate situation, and one that could easily end with Eddie Howe’s squad not getting any stronger this month.
There has already been one setback, with Abdukodir Khusanov unlikely to join Newcastle. That is a shame, even if the Magpies’ need for a centre-back is lessened by the return of Sven Botman.
Newcastle United linked with signing Richarlison
What Eddie Howe really need is attacking reinforcements. Newcastle’s priority is to sign a winger, while another striker would be helpful too given Callum Wilson’s injury.
And that is perhaps why journalist Ben Jacobs has suggested that Newcastle could make a surprise move to sign Richarlison from Tottenham Hotspur this month.
“Richarlison is the surprise one who I am told might be a bit of substance to,” he told the Fully Loaded YouTube channel.
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“But it would have to be a loan into an obligation [to buy] at about £40million. That obligation would have to be contingent on Newcastle qualifying for the Champions League or possibly European football.”
No way Newcastle will sign Richarlison from Tottenham
While Ben Jacobs may have heard whispers of Newcastle being interested in Richarlison, there is surely no way that he will be making the move to Tyneside.
A deal would go against everything that Paul Mitchell is trying to implement in terms of recruitment.
Richarlison is 27-years-old. And by the time the obligatory £40million would be paid in the summer, he would be 28-years-old.
Newcastle want to focus on signing young players from untapped markets, as they go in search of better value. They would not get that at all from Richarlison, while all they would really be doing is financially helping a Premier League rival.
There is no chance that Newcastle will aim to sign Richarlison, even on a short-term basis. The financial hit would not be worth it, which is the same decision the Magpies made last year when they opted not to sign Kalvin Phillips.
As always, Newcastle are not going to sign someone just for the sake of it. If a player arrives, it is because they are deemed a good fit for the club’s project.
Richarlison is not that.