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Newcastle United fans say they want to start “targeting” Sports Direct in a bid to pressure Mike Ashley to sell their beloved club.

Fans unfurled a banner stating ‘He is only one man. We are a city’ outside the Northumberland Street branch on Saturday morning.

The banner - featuring words taken from a Kevin Keegan quote - was first held up inside St James’ Park by fans in January.

The stunt, orchestrated by fans pressure group ‘Ashley Out’, comes amid growing anxiety over manager Rafa Benitez’s future.

(Image: handout)

Members carried the banner around the city, but it was a picture outside the billionaire’s store which attracted the most interest on Twitter.

“He cares about Sports Direct more than anything else, so if we start targeting that he hopefully won’t think it is worth it and may sell for a realistic price,” said a spokesperson about the stunt.

(Image: https://twitter.com/BenWalker1984)

“We asked ‘Wor Flags’ for a few banners and they were more than happy to help out.

“We wanted to put them to use and bring attention to that Ashley’s been there for well over ten years, and with Joe Kinnear and everything else that’s gone on, we need to bring attention to what’s happening to the club.”

They add the ultimate goal is to get “rid” of Ashley. However, in the short term, it is Benitez’s position where doubts exist.

So far the club’s transfer window spending has been dwarfed by some Premier League rivals.

Beloved Benitez has yet to commit to his long-term future to the Magpies. There are reports Ashley won’t disclose the investment the Spaniard craves until he does.

The fear of losing him has sparked an increasingly popular fan movement called ‘If Rafa Goes, We Go’, with life-long fans threatening to renounce their support if Benitez leaves.