Eddie Howe has put five Newcastle players up for sale, with FFP becoming a real concern.

Newcastle United has put five players up for sale, with Financial Fair Play on the club’s mind.

That’s according to 90min, who claim the Magpies are working hard to secure their top targets in the January window.

Despite this intent, the Tyneside club is concerned that they won’t be able to sign the players they want, with the limitations of FFP.

For example, it would reportedly take £50m to land James Maddison at St James’ Park, and this is currently deemed an unlikely proposition in the winter window – although he is Eddie Howe’s number one target.

As a result, the Toon could look to put the likes of Chris Wood, Jamal Lascelles, Ryan Fraser, Matt Ritchie, and Jamal Lewis up for sale. This would raise funds and free-up wages, which could be used to make additional signings.

Newcastle put five players up for sale

Over the summer, the Magpies spent £122.4m in the transfer market.

Although this was calculated wisely, it was still a big portion of the budget, which is now rather limited in January.

Therefore, selling those fringe players – who rarely make the cut in Howe’s squad – makes perfect sense for a well-run club, like Newcastle.

With the Toon pushing for Champions League qualification this season, the club is looking to add quality in depth to their squad.

As part of that, this means improving on the rotation players, in order to welcome those capable of challenging the starting XI.

As a result, if Newcastle is to bring the likes of Maddison in, they will likely have to depart with a few players first, before even thinking about any big-money arrivals.