Newcastle United's reputation for contract and transfer negotiations is renowned in the football world.
As we saw in the Amazon documentary detailing Tottenham's season - when Daniel Levy spoke to Danny Rose about potential United interest - their policy is fairly well-known and the way they deal with transfers is also no secret to agents and representatives alike.
Levy told Rose Newcastle like to buy players with sell-on value, which would make his loan move unlikely to be converted into a permanent one. That is, to be fair, what happened in the close season even if there were signs United were shifting their parameters in the last close season.
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The other factor worth considering is Newcastle's wage structure and how it fits into the club's budget.
A clearly defined budget that must sit within a certain percentage of the club's income, Newcastle manage wages fairly stringently.
It was a bone of contention for Rafa Benitez - who wanted freedom to negotiate when it came to the likes of Salomon Rondon - but it has also allowed them to build their spending power gradually. And it seems to have been eased last summer to allow them to sign Callum Wilson.
Still, it has obviously made an impact on clubs and agents if a new report detailing Mike Ashley's advice to them when negotiating is accurate.
In a new piece in the Athletic detailing how clubs deal with players coming to the end of their contracts, an anonymous technical director is quoted as recounting the conversation that Mike Ashley has with potential signings about what the club can offer them.
The report reads: “Here’s an example. Apparently, one of the best at this is Mike Ashley at Newcastle. Mike Ashley goes, ‘Guys, there’s your money, that’s what it is in the pot, you aren’t going to get a penny more and you aren’t going to get a penny less’.”
The fascinating piece, which covers plenty of other transfer deals, is here and is well worth a read.
