Eddie Howe insists that Newcastle United's January transfer plans have not been affected by Liverpool stealing a march on their rivals by swooping for Cody Gakpo.
The Magpies had scouted Gakpo previously but it was the Reds who acted decisively, wrapping up the PSV Eindhoven forward on a five-and-a-half-year deal for an initial £37million before the transfer window has even opened.
Howe will be looking to put Newcastle's new-found wealth to good use next month, as the Toon Army continue to push for Champions League qualification, but when quizzed on his Merseyside rival's clinical transfer action, he remained unruffled, while at the same time accepting that the New Year is not the ideal time to get business done.
