Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is said to have been left baffled by a legal bill worth more than £500,000 accrued by Henry Mauriss in the latest news involving the takeover saga.

As per The Chronicle, talks between the chief executive of Clear TV and the lawyers of Ashley were ongoing over the summer but the CEO of Sports Direct has been left mystified by the slow nature of the discussions since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) group officially decided to withdraw their own £300m bid after losing patience with how much time it was taking for the Premier League and Richard Masters to decide whether or not to approve their bid.

Nevertheless, the paperwork of the Mauriss bid is said to be examined very carefully by the current owner at St James' Park. However, it is his failure to follow up on the £350m verbal agreement on a deal earlier this year that has left Ashley casting his own doubts on the intentions of the businessman.

Nonetheless, the approach has still cost Mauriss big in legal fees, which has left Ashley baffled. Indeed, the English tycoon looks more unlikely by the day to come to an agreement with Mauriss over a serious offer, as Ashley is expected to label both the American and the Bellagraph Nova (BN) group as "time-wasters" when he addresses the matter publicly.

It seems as if a prospective takeover of the Tyneside club by Mauriss is all but dead, as the Saudi-led consortium continue to play the waiting game in order to try and get their own deal with Ashley back on track.

Geordies, do you think a Mauriss takeover is still possible? Comment below with your views!