Liam Kennedy has dropped an inside claim from sources on James Pallotta and a potential takeover of Newcastle United, revealing that those inside the Toon are 'surprised' by the talk from the former Roma chief.
Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, the football journalist has claimed that Pallotta has 'yet to contact' the St. James' Park faithful following an exclusive interview that he did with The Athletic, in which former chairman and co-owner of AS Roma expressed an interest in buying a club in the Premier League, namechecking Steve Bruce's side in the midst of it.
However, Kennedy has since squashed down any potential chances of him taking over in the North East, adding that any approach made by the businessman currently would 'not be welcomed' by the Tyneside club.
Mike Ashley continues to 'only have eyes' for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, and the news about Pallotta's potential interest has 'come as a surprise' to the Magpies.
Sources believe that the links are nothing more than a 'publicity stunt' at this stage, as Ashley remains '100% committed' to selling to the KSA consortium, per Kennedy's report.
Only one chance for potential Newcastle takeover
With the rumours of Pallotta potentially actively looking to buy the Toon being firmly played down, it seems that there is only one chance of a takeover at NUFC, and that still lies with the KSA group.
However, the KSA's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will have to come back to the table to have any hope of the original deal with Ashley to be revived, and Newcastle likely need to ensure that they are playing football in the Premier League come the start of the 2021/22 term for that to happen.
Last week, pundit Danny Mills claimed the Magpies' hopes of a takeover will 'without a shadow of a doubt' disappear if they are relegated.