Newcastle United look set to accelerate their move to sign Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford imminently.
Geordie Boot Boys understands that Newcastle United remain interested in signing Trafford, who also came close to a move to St James’ Park last summer.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle could sign Trafford in July, over a month after the transfer window actually opened.
It’s interesting that the club are looking to move next month. Eddie Howe wants Newcastle to sign players quickly this summer, while Newcastle are in a strong financial position right now.
With that in mind, Geordie Boot Boys spoke to football finance expert Adam Williams about why Newcastle may be waiting to sign Trafford in July.
- READ MORE: Who is James Trafford? Meet the record-breaking goalkeeper close to Newcastle United transfer
Why PSR impacts Newcastle United’s move for James Trafford
Williams highlighted the fact that the £73million loss Newcastle posted in the 2022/23 season will drop out of the calculations when it comes to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
PSR rules do not allow clubs to lose more than £105million over a three-year period. The fact such a heavy loss drops out therefore provides much more room to spend.
The next PSR assessment deadline comes on June 30 and Williams pointed to Newcastle potentially moving for Trafford when that passes.
“If it’s accurate that Newcastle won’t be making any move for Trafford before July, it’s likely because they are relatively close to the PSR threshold,” he said.
“After 30 June, a new three-year PSR assessment window begins for both the Premier League and UEFA.
“So, the current window is the three years up to the end of that period, i.e., 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25. That means 2022-23 drops out of the equation in 2025-26, which is significant for Newcastle as they lost £73m that year.
“The removal of that deficit from the calculation plus the guarantee of Champions League revenue next year means they will have much, much more headroom from 30 June onwards.
“From what I can see, I don’t think Newcastle will actually breach PSR before 30 June, though we won’t find out until the mid-point of next season. But because we’ve seen some blurred lines with other Premier League clubs in recent years about what is and isn’t classified as allowable expenditure under PSR, it makes sense to give yourself a bit of a buffer.
“They can still negotiate with him in the meantime but, if they do go on to sign him, avoid pulling the trigger for another week until they have more breathing space.
“From Burnley’s perspective, if indeed they are willing to negotiate, I think there will be a gentleman’s agreement that recognises Newcastle’s position.
“Clubs will usually be pretty accommodating with this sort of thing, often even if they are a direct rival. It’ll be a quid pro quo with the condition that Newcastle help them out further down the line if Burnley ever needed. That’s how the politics among Premier League shareholders plays out.”
Newcastle United could equal transfer record to sign James Trafford
Newcastle could pay £30million for Trafford, which would make him the joint-most expensive English goalkeeper in history.
Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale joined Everton and Arsenal respectively in deals that could reach £30million.
Should Newcastle pay that money, it seems unlikely Trafford would be coming in just to sit on the bench.
It’s unclear as to where that would leave Nick Pope. The England international has been linked with a move away, though Howe is a huge fan of Pope.
Still, after a year of chasing him, Newcastle could soon finally be in a position to sign Trafford.
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