Newcastle United will not shatter their wage structure in pursuit of stars like Declan Rice and Mason Mount, even if they qualify for the Champions League.
Mail Sport understands that an enquiry has been made for Chelsea midfielder Mount but that the numbers involved are prohibitive because of Financial Fair Play and a will to protect their current salary model, which sees top earners such as Bruno Guimaraes command around £120,000 per week before bonuses.
An asking price of £80million and weekly wages of at least £250,000 have been quoted for Mount.