Howe, after victory over Chelsea on Sunday, was asked if they could see another €70m deal similar to their past swoop for Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad.
But he replied: No idea, currently, no.
"I think that's a difficult one to answer. I mean, I think we've not been afraid historically if the money's there to sign a big player, i.e. Alex.
"For me, that was big money at the time and it still is big money in anyone's world but we felt he was the right player to spend that money on, so I'm more than happy to do that if that's the right thing and it has the biggest effect for the team and for the squad.
"But I don't think I can give you a clear answer now on what direction we will go because we don't know everything that we need to know."
On the prospect of selling fringe players to add transfer funds, Howe added: "Potentially, we'll always try and make the best decision for the club and for the individual player."