Eddie Howe given 'green light' to spend this summer following meetings with PIF this week

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and a delegation from the Saudi PIF were in town on Sunday and Monday to take in the game against Nottingham Forest and, more crucially, to sit down with the Newcastle United board and map out plans for the future.

It may be a while before we find out what was said in these high-level meetings, and most of it we'll never know.

Reports claim that the big talking point is the future of St James' Park and what to do in terms of expansion or a rebuild with fans hoping we find out the next steps in the very near future.

Of course, just as pressing a matter as that, is the summer transfer window and what Newcastle's plan of attack will be and, of course, what the budget looks like.

Getty Images

PIF give Eddie Howe the 'OK' to spend this summer

A report in The Chronicle suggests that Eddie Howe has been told he is clear to spend this summer after complaining of the squad going 'stale'.

Newcastle haven't made any meaningful investment in playing staff since Sandro Tonali's arrival, and with players leaving in January, the squad is moving backwards and it needs to be addressed.

As the report points out, we're never going to be privy to the actual budget but estimates place it between the £80-£100 million mark, which may not sound like much in the modern game, but when you take into account amortisation through PSR, that budget can be stretched.

Eddie Howe knows what needs to be done to catch up to the 'big six'

Eddie Howe has been making his case for the need to spend in recent press conferences and it seems that the message has made its way to the top.

"Purely in terms of investment and taking the team forward, of course, we have taken a bit of a hit, and we understand that, and I acknowledge that, but it is through no one’s fault, and we have to live in the world of the reality.

"We know that we want to take the team forward again. We are desperate to do that. We have ideas to do that, and hopefully, we can make that happen in the future."