According to reports in The Times, Amanda Staveley is expected to launch a bid for Newcastle United imminently after signing a non-disclosure agreement with the club’s owners.

It was announced on Monday that Mike Ashley had put the Tyneside outfit up for sale after 10 years at the helm, and it seems as though a deal could be done soon with The Times saying that Staveley is looking for a speedy purchase.

The 44-year-old attended the recent draw against Liverpool at St James’ Park to fuel talk that a takeover was close, and it seems more progress has been made since the start of the month.

While Sky Sports reports that Ashley is looking to sell for around £400m, Reuters says that Staveley is considering a bid of around $400m (approximately £303.7m), with a promise of investing £150m over the course of the next two seasons.

However, the Daily Mail says that the financier could pump as much as £300m into Rafa Benitez’s transfer kitty, which would be sure to please the Spaniard following a disappointing summer transfer window.

While it seems safe to say that no source knows the exact figures involved, the potential takeover and investment could allow Benitez to build a squad that is capable of not only staying in the Premier League consistently, but also look to compete for a spot in Europe.

Newcastle have made a positive start to the Premier League season following their promotion from the Championship, taking 11 points from their opening eight top flight fixtures this term.

Maribor may not represent the strongest of opposition, but that shouldn’t take away from what was a record-breaking victory for Liverpool in midweek, claiming their biggest ever winning margin on the road in Europe.

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That bodes well for their Premier League clash with Tottenham this weekend, especially considering the Reds haven’t lost to the Lilywhites since 2012 – a run that spans ten games across all competitions.

With that in mind, we asked Reds supporters earlier this week whether Jurgen Klopp should keep exactly the same starting XI for the trip to Wembley on Sunday, ensuring he doesn’t disrupt the rhythm of a side that proved so potent against Maribor.

And according to our poll, the majority of Liverpool fans want Klopp to name an unchanged starting XI versus Spurs. That, however, will mean excluding captain and England international Jordan Henderson from the line-up.

Would you back the decision to leave Henderson on the bench? Let us know by commenting below…

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been waxing lyrical about manager Mauricio Pochettino this season due to the team’s positive start to the campaign.

Harry Kane is in fine form having scored 13 goals in all competitions so far, while the team indicated that they will be Premier League title challengers this season by convincingly beating Liverpool 4-1 last weekend.

It seemed that for a while Pochettino could do no wrong, but the Argentine is now facing some criticism from the fans due to Wednesday night’s result in the Carabao Cup.

The North London outfit took on West Ham United at Wembley and ended up letting go of a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 on the night.

A handful of regular first-team stars, including Hugo Lloris, Christian Eriksen and Kane were rested from the starting lineup, but Pochettino fielded a team that had enough experience to get the job done.

The former Southampton boss has made no secret of the fact that the Carabao Cup is not a big priority for the club this season, which for some fans has not gone down well.

After the final whistle, Pochettino told Spurs TV that it was difficult to explain what went wrong, so the fans did it for him.

Rangers continued to put the Pedro Caixinha era behind them on Saturday, thrashing Partick Thistle 3-0 at Ibrox and closing the gap on Aberdeen above them.

Graeme Murty has again given the club a boost in the wake of a managerial departure and his side looked as good as they have all season against their Glasgow rivals with Ross McCrorie, Daniel Candeias and Josh Windass all getting on the scoresheet.

Fans were positively delighted with the impact of McCrorie, who was boldly selected ahead of the experienced Bruno Alves, with the Euro 2016 winner having to settle for a place on the bench.

The teenage defender excelled throughout and having netted his first goal has taken a major step towards making himself a regular in the first-team.

Supporters are tipping him for big things in the game with some saying he’ll be a future Rangers captain and others predicting he’ll end up winning over 50 caps for Scotland.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…

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Initially, it was thought that Newcastle United would be without Mikel Merino for a significant period of time with a back problem.

However, just one month later, the midfielder is expected to return to the pitch.

While speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Watford at St James’ Park, manager Rafael Benitez provided an update on Merino’s fitness.

The 21-year-old moved to the North-East outfit in the summer initially on a loan deal from Borussia Dortmund.

Newcastle, though, were so impressed with Merino’s early appearances that they opted to get a permanent five-year deal done on October 13.

Interestingly, the Spaniard’s injury absence has affected results on the pitch, with the team failing to pick up a point since.

Newcastle have lost to Burnley, Bournemouth and Manchester United in the league during that time.

It is safe to say that the fans are pleased to see Merino return to the squad.

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According to reports in Spanish media outlet Diario Gol, Manchester United only face competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, but his €90m (approximately £79.2m right now) price tag could prove to be an issue.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Diario Gol says that Real are willing to let the injury-hit attacker – who has missed 250 days since joining the La Liga giants in 2013 – leave the Bernabeu, but he will only leave for one of Europe’s biggest clubs and not many of those are willing to pay the money that president Florentino Perez wants for the Wales international.

Diario Gol says that Perez wants to €90m (approximately £79.2m) to let the 28-year-old leave, but no one is willing to pay that fee.

The report adds that the only two clubs willing to make offers below that amount are the Red Devils and Spurs, with the former not willing to negotiate until the price is reduced and the latter only willing to pay €60m (approximately £52.8m right now).

How has Bale done this season?

The Welshman’s injury problems have meant that he has been limited to just 10 outings so far this term, in which he has scored three goals and provided a further five assists.

The 29-year-old has already suffered from calf and thigh problems during the current campaign, and despite playing 28 minutes as a substitute and picking up two assists against Fuenlabrada in the cup last month, he suffered recurrence of the calf issue which has kept him on the sidelines since.

Would he be a good signing for United?

He certainly would be, as long as he was fit on a regular basis.

Given his injury record it is no wonder that they aren’t willing to pay around £80m for Bale’s services, but Jose Mourinho will also be well aware of the difference he could make for them in the final third because of his versatility and quality.

The Wales international’s pace, dribbling ability, strength in the air and all-round goal threat would make him a superb addition, but United will be hoping Real lower their demands either during the January transfer window or next summer to make a deal possible.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez made it clear last season that he does not see Aleksandar Mitrovic in his plans.

The Spaniard sanctioned a loan move to Fulham for the Serbian international in January after the forward struggled for game time in the first half of the 2017-18 campaign.

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Mitrovic thrived at Craven Cottage, scoring 12 goals in 20 Championship outings and helping the club secure promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.

It has been widely reported that Fulham are keen to sign Mitrovic on a permanent deal, but it seems that price tag will be the sticking point.

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The Daily Mail’s North East football correspondent Craig Hope tweeted on Tuesday that the Magpies want in excess of £20m for the 40-cap international’s signature.

The figure seems a little steep for a player who has started just 11 league matches for Newcastle over the past two seasons.

Whether Fulham are willing to meet the Magpies’ asking price remains to be seen, but Newcastle fans have had something to say about it on Twitter.

Manchester City’s 2017/18 campaign was a glittering success due to the manner in which Guardiola’s players successfully implemented his rigorously thought-out philosophy. Of course, the signings of the likes of Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Ederson certainly aided City’s cause, but the signing of Danilo was not overly beneficial to the squad.

Danilo arrived from Real Madrid with a mixed reputation, and it’s fair to say he left City supporters puzzled at times last season with his level of inconsistency. In City’s Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal it’s fair to say he was immense at left-back whilst deputising for the injured Fabian Delph, despite pre-match doubts over his ability to remain solid in that position.

But his brilliant marauding display on that occasion was rather overshadowed by a whole host of defensive mistakes he made throughout the season. Danilo’s alarming lapses in concentration arrived all too regularly, so Guardiola should at least be considering the possibility of replacing him this summer.

It seems unlikely that City would be able to offload Danilo for a price close to what they paid for him despite the fact that he is a Brazil international and has rich experience in European football. However, if they do manage to find a buyer for the 26-year-old, Guardiola should target CSKA Moscow’s Mario Fernandes to replace him.

Fernandes (valued at £14.4 million by Transfermarkt) was one of Russia’s standout performers in their overachieving World Cup campaign, but he unfortunately played a decisive role in his nation’s exit from the competition. The impressive full-back saved Russia in extra-time with an emphatic header to take their tie against Croatia to penalties, but he eventually fluffed his spot-kick in the shootout.

It was a heartbreaking moment for a player who thoroughly impressed throughout the tournament, but his lack of composure should not deter Man City from showing an interest this summer. At 27-years-old it’s time that Fernandes was given an opportunity to showcase his talent at one of Europe’s top clubs, and his all-action style of play is well-aligned with what Guardiola expects from his full-backs.

On the back of an impressive World Cup performance it’s unlikely that he’ll come cheap, but there’s no doubt City would be acquiring a significant upgrade on Danilo if they were prepared to match CSKA’s asking price.

Man City fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Manchester United fans watched their side finish second in the Premier League last season while bitter rivals Liverpool finished fourth, but reached the final of the Champions League and appeared to have a much more enjoyable campaign.

Jurgen Klopp’s high-tempo style is in stark contrast to Jose Mourinho’s dour approach, which has bored Red Devils fans while the German has been thrilling the Anfield crowd.

It would also appear that the contrast between the clubs has made Liverpool a more attractive destination for potential new recruits and the Reds are certainly splashing the cash to take full advantage.

The latest player Klopp has gone big for is Alisson, the Brazilian international goalkeeper who plays his club football for Roma – who Liverpool overcame in the Champions League semi-finals last season.

Klopp has reportedly had a world-record bid for the stopper accepted but United fans have been keen to remind the manager of their bitterest rivals about how he said he would be different in the transfer market, even if he had the money to spend…

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Crystal Palace have slapped an astronomical price tag on Wilfried Zaha, so West Ham should test their resolve with a player-plus-cash deal offer involving Michail Antonio.

What’s the story?

According to The Evening Standard, Zaha has asked to leave Selhurst Park, rejecting a whopping new contract offer of around £125,000-a-week.

The report claims Palace have whacked a £70m price tag on the dazzling winger though, meaning interested parties like Tottenham are now considering offering a player as part of the deal to bring the price down.

This should be giving West Ham ideas, especially as they already have a player the Eagles are interested in.

Various reports have claimed Antonio could make the switch to Palace this summer, and if the 28 year-old knocked around £20m off the price tag it would be a win for all parties.

Palace would get rid a player who doesn’t want to be there, while bringing in a direct replacement and enough cash to add even more talent. West Ham would get an attack fearsome enough to push them into the top six, and push Marko Arnautovic to an elite level.

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The fearsome foursome?

If Manuel Pellegrini is intent on playing 4-2-3-1 this season, then it’s no surprise he has targeted the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson in the summer window, meaning there is tons of creativity and pace around Arnautovic.

While it could sacrifice some defensive stability, adding Zaha to that threesome would give the Hammers the best attack outside of the top six, and possibly even the best in the league if they hit the ground running.

In his 16 starts as a central striker last season, Arnautovic grabbed nine goals and five assists, and he bagged twice in a pre-season match against Preston on Saturday.

Now, consider the amount of chances that would fall to him with Zaha, Anderson and Yarmolenko interchanging around him, and the Austrian could well be a front-runner for the golden boot.

Zaha averaged an incredible 4.1 dribbles and 1.8 key passes per game last season, and one has to think he would have had a hell of a lot more than three Premier League assists playing with a more clinical striker than Christian Benteke.

The 25 year-old is rapid, has great link-up play and loves driving defenders back towards their own goal. He also has the intelligence and versatility to play just off Arnautovic, with Yarmolenko and Anderson either side of the pair.

Palace probably wouldn’t want to sell to a London rival, but the Hammers have a major bargaining chip in Antonio, and the owners have already shown they’re finally willing to splash the cash they’ve been saving up all these years.

So, West Ham fans, would you back a huge Antonio-plus-cash deal for Zaha? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…