Eddie Howe reveals transfer stance at Newcastle United amid 'uncomfortable' player valuations
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The club this week signed striker Chris Wood from Burnley after meeting his £25million release clause. The acquisition of Wood, a Premier League record for a player in his 30s, followed the signing last week of defender Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid.
Newcastle have been frustrated in their attempts to sign Lille defender Sven Botman, while Sevilla’s Diego Carlos is another target.
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Hide AdUnited, now 80%-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, are being quoted inflated prices given the wealth of their new majority-owners.
“Everyone’s well aware that we’re in the market for certain positions, and that demand then drives the price up,” said head coach Howe. “There’s nothing we can do about that.
“The window continues to surprise everybody, I think. But you just have to live in that world. We have the needed players that we’ve identified and managed to get over the line.
“The cost of those players is uncomfortable, I’m sure, for everybody – that’s not talking about the individual cases, that’s just the prices of football players in general – but that’s the market we’re in.”
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Hide AdAsked if the club was prepared to walk away from deals, Howe said: “Absolutely, you have to be in that position.


“You have to draw a line in certain situations and say ‘no, we’re not going to pay that money’, otherwise where does the game go? It goes to an uncomfortable place, I think. It’s all about the individual player, and judging each situation on individual merits, and that’s what we’ve tried to do.”