Fresh Newcastle United £7m January transfer claim amid FFP uncertainty

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe insists nothing is close in terms of incomings heading into the January transfer window.

Newcastle head into January on the back of six defeats in seven matches and with a depleted squad due to injuries. The Magpies have been linked with a loan move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in January as Howe looks to strengthen his squad.

But the United boss claimed that no move for Phillips or any other player was close at this stage. Howe even admitted that there have been no assurances that the club will have money to spend in the January window.

"No we haven't had those assurances," Howe said. "It's a difficult month as we always say when January comes around, I apologise if I sound like I'm always saying the same things.

"But it is a very difficult month to bring in quality players and financial fair play continues to play a part in our decision making so let's wait and see." 

Any potential loan move for Phillips would potentially cost the club £7-8million in loan fees, a figure the club may be reluctant to entertain as they continue to manage Financial Fair Play restrictions.

When pressed if the club were in a position to be active in the transfer market in January, Howe added: "Erm... FFP is something that I'm still coming to terms with, to understand myself, I think everyone is related to the game because there are so many parts to it that are always moving.

"I'm not going to give you a clear answer to that. I think FFP is very active in our thoughts, we're trying to navigate it and work around it. So we'll wait and see."