Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe faces a big problem in the transfer market, according to former Magpies boss Sam Allardyce.
Big Sam fears that the Toon will face inflated fees during the January transfer window following the recent takeover.
What's the latest transfer news involving Newcastle?
In October, a Saudi-lead consortium completed a somewhat impromptu takeover of the Tyneside club.
Backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Newcastle now technically have the richest owners in the world.
Combined with incredibly favourable accounts when it comes to Financial Fair Play due to Mike Ashley's limited spending in recent years, it has been suggested the Magpies could fork out as much as £200m on the squad without breaching FFP.
It's clear Newcastle are in need of new recruits when the transfer window opens in January. The Toon are currently 19th in the Premier League table and six points away from escaping the relegation zone.
However, former Newcastle boss Allardyce believes new manager Howe - who was officially appointed earlier this week - could face a big problem in the transfer market.
What has Sam Allardyce said about Newcastle's potential transfers?
Speaking on The Football Terrace, Allardyce told host Terry Flewers that Howe will come up against inflated price-tags for Newcastle targets, with selling clubs well aware of the amount of money the Toon are capable of spending.
Allardyce said: "New players can’t be brought in until January and he’ll face a difficult task of inflated prices. Because there’s so much talk about Newcastle having so much money to spend, any player that becomes a Newcastle target now there will be an inflated price on it. And it’s whether you’re brave enough to say this player is still good enough at that price to bring a better team and better results to Newcastle."
You can check out what Allardyce said in full in the video below...
Who could Newcastle look to bring in during the next transfer window?
There's a pretty convincing logic to rumours that Newcastle will sign Burnley's James Tarkowski in January. The centre-back has links to the new owners at St. James' Park and his Clarets contract expires at the end of the season, making the coming transfer window their final opportunity to cash in.
Newcastle have also been linked with Gareth Bale, Mauro Icardi, Keylor Navas and Dele Alli, although all of those are incredibly ambitious names and it remains to be seen if any would be interested in joining the club midway through a relegation battle.