Newcastle United's financial situation could force the club to entertain offers for right-back Valentino Livramento this summer.
The 22-year-old joined the Magpies from Southampton for £30.8m in the summer of 2023 and he initially arrived at St James' Park to provide backup for Kieran Trippier.
However, Livramento has now established himself as Eddie Howe's first-choice right-back this season, starting 21 Premier League games and five more across the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
The one-cap England international has made a total of 68 first-team appearances for Newcastle and his consistent performances are understood to have caught the eye of Manchester City.
Recent reports claimed that Livramento had emerged as a genuine option for the reigning Premier League champions, who have added him to their list of full-back targets ahead of the summer transfer window.
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Could PSR force Newcastle to sell Livramento this summer?
Howe acknowledged the "frustrating" transfer rumours last Friday and issued a hands-off warning to interested suitors over a future move for Livramento, who remains firmly in the Newcastle manager's plans going forward.
Indeed, Newcastle are not planning to entertain offers for Livramento this summer, but Football Insider claims that their situation concerning the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) could change their stance.
It is claimed that Newcastle's financial situation may force them to cash in on at least one of their key players, but Howe will have a stronger chance of keeping his squad together if they qualify for next season's Champions League.
The prospect of breaching PSR has heavily restricted Newcastle's spending over the last two transfer windows, and they were forced to sell both Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh last summer to balance their books.
Newcastle hope to avoid another scenario this summer where they are forced to sell more first-team players, and after cutting the first-team wage bill, Howe is said to be expecting to have more funds available to strengthen his squad.
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Will Livramento stay or leave Newcastle this summer?
While the possibility of working under Pep Guardiola and replacing Kyle Walker as Man City's first-choice right-back could appeal to Livramento, the former Chelsea youngster has previously suggested that his current club Newcastle is the perfect place to continue his development.
Prior to his England debut in November, Livramento told Newcastle's media channels: "In the Premier League, you're coming up against quality players week after week. That defensive work was one of the areas that Eddie and Jason [Tindall] wanted me to work on when I first went to Newcastle.
"If I can keep improving and keep taking on board what they're telling me, then I think that's definitely going to help me as a player.
"I'm at a place I absolutely love. The atmosphere, the supporters, the manager, it feels like I'm in a great place at Newcastle. I'm in the best place I could be to learn and develop as a footballer."
Livramento, who is under contract until June 2028, is currently focused on helping Newcastle secure a top-four finish in the Premier League and is also looking forward to potentially representing the Magpies in the EFL Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley later this month.
Oliver Thomas
