Isak, Guimaraes and Gordon won't need to be sold to balance the books

The Magpies were under PSR pressure last summer when, in a frantic, late attempt to avoid sanctions, they reluctantly sold young academy graduate players Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for more than £60m combined.

CEO Darren Eales later said: "We do not want to be leaving ourselves in that situation again in such tight circumstances."

While two significant sales gave them a little more headroom, PSR continues to restrict their ability to spend big - and it now seems likely they will go through a third transfer window without making a major signing.

But, most importantly for Eddie Howe and the Newcastle fans, they do not have to sell star names like Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon to balance the books.

Howe said on Tuesday: "I think the club were educated last year. For us what happened last year was very difficult. It had a knock-on effect on what happened in the summer; PSR continues to affect our decision-making, whether that is a contract renewal - or whatever the situation regarding our squad - we have to think long and hard about making a decision."

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Read more on how Premier League clubs avoided PSR charges