Newcastle fans are rightly suspicious about the timing of the latest takeover rumours at St. James’ Park, but The Chronicle’s Mark Douglas tweeted four simple words on Thursday evening that should make the St. James’ Park faithful extremely excited.After The Telegraph claimed earlier this week that paperwork had been filed to the Premier League over a potential £340m takeover, Magpies fans were understandably sceptical.

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Indeed, Mike Ashley has regularly used takeover rumours to distract from other things like a lack of success in the transfer market or Rafael Benitez’s departure from the club, and after the PR disaster at Sports Direct last week it certainly felt like the same old story.

However, Douglas revealed shortly after the Telegraph’s report that he expects a deal to happen this time if it is backed by “Saudi doshâ€, and has now also confirmed to fans that this is “not a PR stuntâ€.

Those four simple words will surely excite the Toon Army, for while it does not mean a deal is necessarily going to go through, it crosses off what seemed the most likely possibility – that all this was simply to distract from what happened with Sports Direct last week.

Whether or not the Saudi Public Investment Fund will meet Ashley’s asking price remains to be seen, but make no mistake about it, this is more than just another trick up the infamous owner’s sleeve.

Have you seen the Salomon Rondon video Newcastle fans are all talking about?