Mike Ashley wants Belgium manager Roberto Martinez at Newcastle, according to the Sun.
Martinez is preparing for the Euro 2020 tournament at the moment, with Belgium sitting on a perfect qualifying record.
Under Martinez, Belgium finished third in the 2018 World Cup beating England in the 3rd/4th place play-off.
The report claims the Belgium FA is “bracing for an approach” from Ashley.
OPINION
Most Newcastle fans would welcome Martinez at St James’ Park with open arms but they’ll also be hugely cynical about the chances of it actually happening. On paper, it looks highly unlikely, despite the report claiming he would get a big increase on his current salary. Martinez is currently managing the number one rated international team in the world. He took Belgium to third in the 2018 World Cup and he must think he’s got a very real shot at lifting the Euros. That’s set to play out next summer and Martinez has a contract until then with the Belgium FA. As prominent Belgian journalist, Kristoff Terreur points out, Martinez has been linked with a number of jobs since he took over as Belgium manager in 2016 – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Aston Villa, Swansea, Spain and now Newcastle. That’s not to say the interest isn’t real – although Newcastle fans will think it’s just another smokescreen – but we can’t see Martinez walking away from an unfinished job with Belgium to keep Newcastle afloat in the Premier League under Mike Ashley.