Lee Ryder has shared some inside information on a new potential takeover of Newcastle United.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the football journalist has shared that the St. James' Park faithful have been approached by new buyers from overseas who have enquired about the prospect of buying the North East club if they were to find themselves relegated from the Premier League down to the EFL Championship at the end of the 2020/21 term.

They have also enquired about whether there would be a knockdown in the asking price of Mike Ashley, as low as £50m in one case, and whether that kind of offer would be acceptable for the chief executive of Sports Direct should they go down.

However, his advisors have apparently been irked by those they deem as time wasters given that their fate in the top flight has yet to be decided.

Ashley still views the interest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium in buying the Tyneside club as serious, and ideally wants to sell the Magpies at a top-flight price.

Time to look elsewhere for Newcastle?

With the KSA's Public Investment Fund (PIF) currently off of the table at the moment, it may be time for Ashley to look elsewhere in terms of other potential buyers.

If Steve Bruce's team were to find themselves relegated, then it is less likely that the KSA group would find the prospect of taking over at the Toon as attractive, and may not want to settle on Ashley's original asking price if they did still hold an interest.

Nonetheless, the key for NUFC is to avoid getting relegated first of all, which could then lead to a re-evaluation of the takeover process.

In other news, find out what inside claim Liam Kennedy has dropped on the potential takeover here!