Signing players will not be easy for Newcastle United in January.
Not only are the club still dealing with FFP worries, Newcastle are likely to have major competition during the transfer window.
Take Kalvin Phillips for example.
The midfielder is believed to be of interest as he looks to leave Manchester City, though Juventus are said to be in the race too.
Indeed, talented players attract big interest, making life difficult for the Magpies.
Which brings us to Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande.
The 20-year-old has reportedly been scouted by Newcastle but Chelsea could make the first move.
Ousmane Diomande: Chelsea make move to sign Newcastle transfer target
According to the Evening Standard, the Blues have made the defender one of their primary transfer targets.
They are said to have made contact with Sporting over the prospect of a move, albeit the Ivory Coast international will not come cheaply.
It is claimed the Portuguese giants will not sell the defender for less than his £69m release clause.
Ousmane Diomande: Newcastle may lose out on transfer
It’s tough to see Newcastle spending as much as £69m on one player in the January transfer window amid the FFP concerns.
With that in mind, they could be losing ground in the race for Diomande. Should Chelsea or another club be prepared to meeting Sporting’s demands, Newcastle will be out of the picture entirely.
The January window will not be easy for Newcastle. Notoriously an arduous period in which to do business anyway, the fact there remain FFP issues and a lack of European football will surely make landing top targets very difficult.
With Diomande already attracting big interest from other huge clubs around Europe, it looks like a transfer window too soon for Newcastle.
In the summer, they may have to turn to other targets.
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