Lee Ryder has dropped some promising insight from sources close to Mike Ashley on the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Newcastle statement

The St James' Park club released a statement on their official website requesting for the upcoming arbitration process to be made public and claimed that they have ‘nothing to hide’, even suggesting that the Premier League should have ‘no reason to be afraid of the public spotlight’ providing that they have acted ‘lawfully and properly’.

The statement certainly seems to suggest that they are confident in getting a positive result, and perhaps less so for the top flight, who have not agreed to their request as of yet.

The Latest: Ashley insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder - a journalist who has been following the latest developments in the takeover saga closely - has revealed that sources close to Ashley have claimed that the 56-year-old sees the takeover as a 'done deal'.

This echoes the confidence of the statement released by the club and shows that the owner is certainly not ready to back down.

The Verdict: Promising

The claim that Ashley sees the takeover as a 'done deal', along with the bullish statement from Newcastle, is promising in terms of the Tyneside club getting a positive result in the arbitration hearing.

If the results go in their favour, the whole takeover process should be sped up, which will come as music to the ears of the Toon Army, who have waited long enough for the deal to happen.

It is set to be an intriguing legal battle over the next month, as the arbitration proceedings will be pivotal in determining the direction of where the takeover is heading.

In other news, find out who is putting more pressure on the Premier League over making arbitration public