Cash conscious Premier League clubs are choosing to shop abroad because current rules prevent loan deals between Premiership clubs and also insist that transfer fees to other English clubs must be paid within 12 months of the signing.
The Premiership is the only league in Europe with such stringent regulations and these have resulted in some clubs, including Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, choosing to source all their recent signings from abroad.
Everton, for example, would have found it impossible to sign Joseph Yobo on-loan for a year from another Premiership club and then pay the £7million fee for his permanent signing over the three years of his proposed contract.
But are there any advantages to Newcastle United if loan deals and payment by instalment are permitted in future?
As the only Premiership club to regularly make big-money signings from other English clubs we may find increased competition for the signatures of the best young players.
But on the plus side it will become far easier to offload players in both permanent and temporary deals, hopefully avoiding anymore Marcelino type situations, as well as giving us the opportunity for our young players to get top-flight experience by going on loan to Premiership clubs.
So it may well be good news for the likes of Lewis Guy and Steven Taylor, but bad news for Freddy Shepherd when it comes to negotiating future transfers.