Eddie Howe unwilling to pay 'Newcastle tax' and offers 'take it or leave it' ultimatum

Newcastle are preparing to scrap their pursuit of Sven Botman after Lille decided to increase their asking price, with Eddie Howe left entirely unimpressed.

The Magpies thought they'd agreed a £30million deal with Lille for the Dutch defender, only for the French side to then raise their asking price to £36m. According to the Telegraph, they've been told that a ' Newcastle tax' is being applied to their potential deals, after they became the richest club in the world last year.

Because of their wealth, clubs are increasing their asking prices as a result, which is making it harder for Newcastle to complete deals. And Newcastle have now issued a 'take it or leave it' offer to Lille.

Newcastle will not increase their offer of £30m, meaning if Lille do not go back on their decision to ask for an extra £6m, then the Magpies will look elsewhere. After Newcastle became the wealthiest club in the world, many pictured a mass spending spree this summer, but this is not the case.

Howe's transfer budget this summer is reportedly between £80m and £100m, as Newcastle look to ensure they cooperate with financial fair play. But this figure is a slight increase on the predicted purse that was anticipated ahead of the summer.

Due to this budget, Newcastle are still having to be careful that they don't overspend, and with multiple positions targeted they must be smart with their money. So while in the grand scheme of things £6m doesn't seem like a big increase in today's market, it's the principle of being taken advantage of that's putting Newcastle off.

With Newcastle ensuring that they aren't totally ripped off, it's almost certainly ended their chances of signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer. Everton were holding out for