Eddie Howe believes it is not too soon for Newcastle to compete in the Champions League given the ambition of the club, and admits a greater transfer budget has been discussed.
The head coach spent part of the squad’s recent break in Dubai working on a list of targets ahead of the summer, with three different scenarios identified depending on league finish.
Newcastle are currently third in the Premier League and bookmakers have them as odds-on to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Howe has been guarded on such talk, at least in public, but says all eventualities are being considered internally - the alternatives being the Europa League and Conference League or, in the worst case, failure to qualify for Europe.