The final decision on the proposed takeover of Newcastle United by the Premier League may be sped up by the news that Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly rejected the chance to manage at SL Benfica, according to Record (via Inside Futbol).

As per the outlet, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss would prefer to manage in one of Europe's top five leagues: the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A or Ligue 1.

Pochettino apparently wants the opportunity to win some of the biggest trophies in the beautiful game, and is keeping an eye on the current situation at Real Madrid, as Benfica are allegedly looking at former Arsenal coach Unai Emery and ex-manager of Everton Marco Silva as potential alternatives to him.

The 48-year old has been strongly linked with the potential job opening at the Tyneside club if Steve Bruce is deemed surplus to requirements by the would-be owners, and the fact that he has rejected the job in Portugal because he wants to potentially manage again in the Premier League could speed up the decision to approve of the proposed takeover.

Pochettino may also buy into the project of the buying side who will surely be looking to win some silverware for the Magpies, given that they will likely have a lot of money to spend on possibly big transfer deals in upcoming summer  windows.

If the Saudi Arabian-led group are ambitious, then they may want to swoop in for the Argentine sooner rather than later before other teams come in for him. They may therefore ask the Premier League more questions as to when they will be able to take control, which could speed up the takeover process.

Geordies, would you like Poch to be your next manager? Comment below!