Newcastle United have taken out a loan with Barclays to support the club's cash flow during the season and to ensure the Magpies do not have a negative balance between Premier League payments.
The loan was secured on this season's central fund and next season's basic award fund, which both relate to the money the Magpies receive from broadcasters, but club sources insist this is regular business practice.
Given how Premier League payments come through in installments, a number of top-flight clubs have also borrowed from external lenders this summer and Watford put together a registration of change with Companies House on the same day as Newcastle on September 11.
The Magpies have taken the loan out in preparation for the 'peaks and troughs' in cash flow during the campaign and outgoing payments, overheads, salaries and when the club are due to receive transfer fee payments have all been taken into account.
Newcastle previously took out a loan with Barclays to help fund recruitment in the January transfer window as an alternative to borrowing the money from owner Mike Ashley, which they have done previously, and the overdraft was paid back in full within the agreement date at the end of the campaign.
Steve Bruce confirmed last week that there will be 'a little bit' of money left to spend in January and the Newcastle head coach is due to start planning for 2020 with chief scout Steve Nickson in the coming weeks.
"In the next couple of weeks, we will look at January and I will sit down with Steve and his crew to see where we can strengthen and I think that's with every club to go forward - can you strengthen?" he told reporters on Friday.
"I think we're in a position now where rather than having five or six, it's probably one or two and to look for that real bit of quality that can make you better.
"We've seen with Joelinton or Almiron, just in January alone, that little bit of quality at the top end of the pitch has certainly helped us."
