Newcastle United have held ‘concrete’ contacts with Mauricio Pochettino about taking over as manager once their takeover by a Saudi investment group is completed.
The Magpies are currently in the process of being sold by Mike Ashley to the group and, should it go through, they would become the richest club in the Premier League in the process, at least in terms of ownership.
A massive summer spending spree has been predicted for when that happens, with the new owners thought to be keen to make their mark early on.
They’ve also been linked with making a big move off the pitch too, with Pochettino, who is out of work after leaving Tottenham earlier this season, their number one target.
And according to L’Equipe, there have been ‘concrete’ contacts between him and Newcastle’s potential new owners ahead of their takeover.
They are not the only ones preparing, with the newspaper also reporting that French agents are ‘attentive’ to the situation as they believe Newcastle may go hunting in the country should the takeover go through.
Pochettino is a known admirer of the French game while the Magpies themselves have regularly shopped in that market down the years as well.
And with French clubs struggling financially because of the Coronavirus outbreak, there is a feeling they could ‘take full advantage’ of the situation to secure themselves top talent at reasonable prices.
First, though, the takeover must be completed, although it seems behind the scenes, everyone is lining up their cards for a big summer at St James Park.
