Toon in talks for two signings - but journalist refuses to back down on £75m claims

According to The Mail's Craig Hope, Newcastle remain locked in talks over moves for Leicester's Harvey Barnes and Southampton's Tino Livramento.

He's been told a "few things need to fall in place" to seal a deal for Barnes, while our pursuit of Livramento remains "live." However, the club must move players on to allow for further incomings and "juggle" given our ongoing battle with FFP restrictions.

With this in mind, the North East reporter has also doubled down on the transfer budget claims he released last month. Back in June, he claimed that we had £75m to spend, claiming that amount could increase beyond the £100m mark through player sales.

A few weeks on, he's told his 80,000 Twitter followers that the situation remains the same. He believes there's scope to spend around £100m, with 'wiggle room' possible if additional funds can be raised, but insists that there isn't a great deal left after a £52m move for Sandro Tonali.

His colleague in the Midlands - The Mail's Tom Collomosse - claims that we're pondering a £30m bid for Barnes. Should that prove successful, it would take our spending beyond the £80m mark and still in need of a left-back, centre-back and additional midfielder.