Newcastle’s strict wage cap has reportedly prevented them from signing Kieran Gibbs and Lucas Perez.

The duo are allowed to leave Arsenal and have both been linked with Newcastle, but any potential move appears to have been scuppered by the Magpies’ reluctance to pay out big wages.

That’s according to the IBTimes via Yahoo Sports, who claim that Newcastle are refusing to pay any player more than £70,000 per week. The report suggests that Lucas would want at least £70,000 per week to join Newcastle, while Gibbs wants £80,000 per week if he’s to leave Arsenal.

It’s not just Newcastle who are struggling to sign Arsenal players due to financial reasons. The likes of Watford, who have spent a fair amount this summer, have been put off by Gibbs’ wage demands and Arsenal’s asking price. Then you get European clubs like Fenerbahce and Deportivo who can’t afford to buy Lucas outright.

Arsenal are running out of time to find buyers for their deadwood and could soon be faced with a situation of having to pay big wages to players not contributing in any way. If they lower their asking price, I feel Arsenal may have a better chance of selling their unwanted stars this summer.