Newcastle United are being forced to let go of Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimarães or they risk facing FFP charges, according to reports.
The Premier League is taking financial fair play issues seriously this period with Chelsea, Everton, Nottingham Forest and most popularly, Manchester City facing sanctions.
The Toffees have already been hit with a 10-point deduction earlier this season. Further investigation into their case is still ongoing, however, with sources claim they could be docked more points if found guilty of breaching the laws.
The same is applicable to Nottingham Forest, who only returned to the Premier League last season. Their transfer business was a blitz and many expected them to come under scrutiny in one way or the other. After signing more than 30 players across their promotion season and the ongoing one, they are now being forced to defend their business.
For Chelsea, claims of transfer bribes being paid to players’ families to hijack transfers as well as claims of transfers being funded with external funds were made by thee current owners of the club, Todd Boehly and co., against the former owner, Roman Abramovich. This was done to give the club a fresh start. However, the claims could come back to bite the club in the behind as sanctions await them upon a guilty judgement.
The case of Manchester City is widely known. Starting from 2009 – around the period when the club was taken over by the City Football Group led by United Arab Emirates’s politician and business mogul Sheikh Mansour, there have been 115 breaches of the leagues FFP. The Premier League are currently planning a hearing for them with possible sanctions ranging from expulsion from the league to stripping of titles to forced relegation at the end of the season regardless of their final position.
Newcastle are in danger of facing similar sanctions thanks to their transfer market blitz last season after the Saudi Arabia Petroleum Investment Fund bought the club.
Isak (£63 million) and Guimarães (£40 million) are the club’s most expensive signings from that period. They could leave in the coming windows to help sort out their FFP issues, according to transfer insider Pete O’Rourke.
Guimarães leaving this January has been ruled out, however, but Arsenal have an interest in Isak. However, it is unclear whether the Gunners want to pursue a January transfer for the Sweden international.
Newcastle are currently 10th in the Premier League table and their next fixture is against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday 27 January.
