Inside Newcastle United's 'stressful' June sales and why some may refuse to go

Newcastle United's countdown to the Profitability and Sustainability Rules health check deadline may not be as straightforward as first anticipated.

In fairness, some fans may not even be fully aware of what a PSR health check is, but getting polished balance sheets ready in time for June 30 could be the difference of a points deduction or not. Top-flight clubs want the rules changed and more flexibility than they offer at the moment, which is the avoidance of accumulating losses in excess of £105 million in a three-year period.

It has left Newcastle facing the likely prospect of trading players at a usually quieter period of the transfer window. But do any of them of them want to leave and how practical is that right now?

For a start, a clutch of stars remain on international duty and have asked the club for focus as they dedicate their time to their respective countries. With Martin Dubravka still tied up with Slovakia, Kieran Trippier representing England and Miguel Almiron flying the flag for Paraguay at the Copa America, three players who could be of potential value are not exactly in a position to negotiate an exit.

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Then there are those closer to home such as Elliot Anderson and Sean Longstaff who don't really won't to leave their hometown club. Since the window swung open for business Longstaff has been linked with newly promoted Leicester City and on Saturday, Anderson was mentioned as part of a swap deal for Max Kilman at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Within minutes of the story breaking it was communicated by those close to Whitley Bay lad Anderson that he had no intention of leaving St James' Park and remains fully committed to the black and white cause. It leaves Newcastle with a handful of deals they could still do before that unofficial PSR deadline on June 30.

It's stressful alright but it's another complex layer of trading Newcastle must just simply box through. Somehow!

As Chronicle Live reported on Saturday night, Callum Wilson is interesting West Ham while clubs are queuing up for Yankuba Minteh with the likes of AS Roma, Everton, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille all taking a look at a player that could be sold for £40m. As things stand Minteh and Wilson seem favourites to be sold before the end of the month.

In a week in which Sandro Tonali has also been linked with a move back to AC Milan, it does make you wonder if there will be any curveballs served up by United in the next few days. The difficulty is first persuading a player that doesn't want to leave that the door is open for them, but then finding a club and financial package that is right for them.

Overall, it has been a stressful few weeks for Newcastle on the recruitment front with deals parked while the club attempt to balance finances for the sake of PSR. The first sign of trouble came when Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie were refused contract extensions despite a request from Eddie Howe to extend their deals for the 2024/25 season.

Both players accepted that their time was up with dignity and respect but Newcastle find themselves in a position where the game's financial issues are overlapping sporting needs. In an ideal world why would you want to sell Minteh for example?

This is a teenager who has just had a wonderful season in Holland with Newcastle supporters looking forward to seeing him get an opportunity in pre-season. But his career on Tyneside could be over before it has even begun.

However, that is the price of the PSR rule book and the mess that the Premier League has got itself into. After June 30, Newcastle will have time to rectify their squad of course, but an intense few days lies ahead in terms of outgoings.

Perhaps the biggest worry for fans should be what happens if Newcastle don't manage to offload players in time for the PSR health check? Only those down the corridors of power at St James' Park know what shape the finances are in right now.