Newcastle United would have to pay £70million if they were to turn their attention to former Leeds United star Raphinha.
The Brazilian is only one season in over at the Nou Camp but Barca are not ruling out his exit due to their own financial complications. Barcelona have been told by La Liga that they must cut their wage bill and raise funds if they are to be able to enter this summer's transfer window
With La Liga handing Barca a tight budgeting order they must adhere to tough financial controls. La Liga supremo Javier Tebas said: "In the case of Barcelona, they have to drop from spending on wages and transfers from £532m to £399m (€650m to €450m), so it’s a budget of minus £177m (€200m).
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"They have to reduce their investment in players and we have encouraged them to sell players because, for every amount they raise in sales, they can spend 40 per cent of that."
It's why Raphinha, who doesn't want to leave, could be offered to Newcastle and Arsenal in the coming weeks. One factor that would not be an issue for Newcastle is the player's approximate £115,000 per week wages. But whether Newcastle will see value at £70million, with a host of other targets available, remains to be seen.
Talks continue on landing major sponsor at St James' Park
Newcastle United remain tight-lipped on a new sponsor deal - despite a report in the Times suggesting a £25m-per-season deal has been struck with a Middle East company.
More updates from the club are expected in the coming weeks with Fun88's association drawing to a close a year early. The existing deal was worth just £6.5million a year after it was thrashed out by Mike Ashley during his ill-fated stint in charge.
With Newcastle knowing they must adhere to FFP, the move, combined with Champions League prize money, could bolster the Magpies' summer kitty significantly. For now those discussions are ongoing but United are edging closer to a deal that be the biggest commercial agreement in club history.
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