Newcastle have made Steve Bruce their number one target and are set to make an official approach for the 58-year-old, according to the Sun.
The report claims that the club is willing to pay the compensation to Sheffield Wednesday, which is not expected to be more than £1million.
The Sun claim he would “jump” at the opportunity and that Newcastle will make their move this week. It has even been said that Mike Ashley and Bruce could meet in person to seal the deal.
Several factors are cited in Bruce’s favour: his man-management skills, experience in the Premier League and his ability to get on with Ashley and Lee Charnley.
VERDICT
Steve Bruce is experienced – he’s managed over 900 games for 10 different clubs – and he’s a man who would want the job at Newcastle and presumably wouldn’t have an issue working under Ashley. But the club will face a massive battle to convince the fans that he’s the best man for the job and not just the best man who will actually accept it. Bruce’s best moments as a manager have come in the second tier. He took Birmingham up to the Premier League in the 2001/02 season, where he kept them until relegation in 2005. He bounced back the very next season finishing second in the Championship, before leaving to take over at Wigan. He took Hull City up to the Premier League in his first season before relegation and subsequent promotion again. And since then he’s steered Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday to mid-table finishes in the Championship. The closest he’s come to silverware was the 2014 FA Cup final with Hull, where they lost to Arsenal. A win percentage of 38.5% over 904 games would see him keep Newcastle in the Premier League and that’s perhaps the club can hope for next season, after losing their two top scorers, Ayoze Perez (£30m move to Leicester) and Salomon Rondon (back to West Brom after his loan ended). Newcastle fans will believe they deserve a lot more.