Newcastle chiefs admit the sale of Allan Saint-Maximin - to a Saudi Arabian club with the same owners - unlocked their ability to spend this summer.
Mail Sport revealed in May that Eddie Howe and his recruitment team were told they had a budget of £75million, if players were not sold.
The head coach then said in July, after the £52m arrival of Sandro Tonali, that the club were ‘stuck’ when it came to bringing in more because of Financial Fair Play.
Saint-Maximin joined Al Ahli the following week in a £25m deal, leading top-flight rivals to question whether the transfer represented fair market value, given Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund owns both the buying and selling club.