Newcastle involved in four-way transfer saga as PSR 'loophole' found and £40m boost eyed

Profit and sustainability rules [PSR] compliance has dominated transfer talk for months and the upcoming seven days will likely see a cluster of intra-Premier League deals take place as top flight sides move to balance their books before June 30.

To cut a long, and boring, story short - Premier League sides have until that date, which represents the final cut-off point for the three-year PSR period, to ensure they have stuck to their financial obligations and avoid repercussions such as a points deduction. As such, players are set to be shipped out in the next week - including at Newcastle United.

The Magpies are ready to offload 19-year-old talent Yankuba Minteh - a player who has not yet kicked a ball in black and white - despite signing for the Magpies 12 months ago. The Gambian forward impressed on loan at Feyenoord last season and is now attracting serious interest after an ambitious £40m valuation was placed on his head.

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Newcastle aren't alone in deciding to get rid of an exciting youngster who is now seen as a major financial asset rather than a potential first-team prospect. Chelsea, Everton and Aston Villa are all seeking to do deals with one another to help with their respective financial concerns.

Starting with Chelsea and Aston Villa - the former are pushing to sign Omari Kellyman - an 18-year-old striker now valued at just shy of £20m. The teenager was only bought for £600k a year ago and has since played just 715 minutes of football in the Premier League 2 and 35 minutes in the Premier League.

In return, Chelsea are set to sell left-back Ian Maatsen to Villa for a fee of around £37.5m. The Netherlands international is a highly-rated star who spent last season at Borussia Dortmund.

Elsewhere, Villa have signed Lewis Dobbin from Everton for £10m, despite his transfer valuation currently sitting around £2m. Going the other way, Everton have bought Tim Iroegbunam from Villa for a fee of £9m, despite his Transfermarkt valuation being £4m.

Everton are also one of the teams interested in Minteh's signature, with Chronicle Live understanding he has agreed terms with one interested party. Newcastle are currently pursuing a move for Toffees forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The explanation for these inflated deals for young stars is clever. For example, if you sign a player for £20m and then sell one of your players for £20m, the fee you paid can be amortised over the length of a four or five-year contract. In return, the amount received can be put onto the balance sheet for this month before the PSR accounts reset.

It is a clever loophole being exploited - but provides yet another reason to loathe the current financial restrictions placed on Premier League clubs.

Newcastle always knew they would have to offload players this window given a lavish spend in past summers since the 2021 takeover. The Magpies have spent around £400m on new playing recruits in recent seasons, while managing to keep hold of their most prized assets for the majority of that period.

This summer is set to be different with Minteh just one name on a long list of potential exits. Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Kieran Trippier - all key men in the eyes of Eddie Howe - face being sold if the price is right.

Minteh's exit will sting given the exciting career that lies ahead. Newcastle chiefs will no doubt justify such a move given the profit that can be made on a player they signed for just £6m last summer.