Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin "is going to be sold" this summer, with his destination likely being Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, but the fee won't be "too big", claims journalist Alex Crook.
Is Allan Saint-Maximin leaving Newcastle United?
It's been a strong transfer window for the Magpies this summer, and while the club have only made two signings so far, one was massively significant.
The arrival of Italian international Sandro Tonali from Serie A giants AC Milan, his boyhood club, felt like a seismic transfer for the Premier League, representing Newcastle's true arrival among the country's big boys.
That said, the club have yet to make any significant acquisitions since his arrival, primarily due to concern over their standing regarding FFP regulations.
In a bid to raise more capital to spend on players, the club will have to sell some of their own, and the first name on the chopping block looks to be French winger Saint-Maximin.
Despite being a popular player amongst fans, the former Nice ace has been touted for a move to the free-spending Saudi Pro League this summer.
Still, with Newcastle's ownership situation, both sides will avoid raising too much suspicion with a more reasonable transfer fee, per journalist Alex Crook.
He explained the situation live on TalkSPORT, which was then posted to their YouTube channel:
"It's Allan Saint-Maximin who is going to be sold. They're in talks with Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, ironically owned by PIF, the investment arm behind Newcastle, so you'd think it should be a fairly straightforward transaction.
"It will be interesting what type of fee changes hands because, obviously, if it gets too big, then maybe questions might be asked."I think they will be conscious of that, and that is why it looks like Saint-Maximin is going to change hands for less, say, than Fabinho, who we know has a £40m price tag."
Who have Newcastle United been linked to this summer?
Despite the lack of signings being completed in the Northeast, the Toon have still been linked with a whole host of players from across the Premier League and beyond.
The player with their name attached to Eddie Howe's side more than any other at the moment seems to be Leicester City star, Harvey Barnes.
According to the Daily Mail, Barnes has been a long-term target for the club, but the Foxes' valuation of £40m is currently more than they can spend without first offloading players like Saint-Maximin. The Toon will want to hurry on this one, however, as the Mail have also confirmed that both West Ham United and Manchester United hold an interest in the 25-year-old.
From attack to defence now, and Howe's side are currently in talks with Southampton over their dynamic young fullback, Tino Livramento.
According to Football Insider, the two teams have been in discussions for some time about the player, and the Toon have already had a £15m bid rejected by the Saints, but not to be put off, are preparing a new bid worth a reported £25m to secure the 20-year-old's signature.
Ultimately, it looks like Newcastle have certainly got grand plans for the transfer window this summer, but many of those plans are contingent on significant income from player sales of their own.
