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Newcastle United have had so many potential buyers - it's hard to keep count but one group who you can put on the list of serious bidders is Mexican Group Orlegi Sports.

Chronicle Live broke the group's initial interest back in May - and even though the bids failed to materialise into anything, the interest has remained.

President Alejandro Irarragorri spoke recently about coming close to buying a Premier League club - we understand that to be NUFC, while a new report in The Athletic claim the group have 'expressed confidence' over completing a deal.

Here's what you we know about the group

The group formed in 2013 in order to takeover Mexican top-flight side Santos Laguna, but director Alejandro Irarragorri has been involved for the last 12 years - first under Grupo Modelo, and then Orlegi.

In that time four league titles and a domestic cup have been lifted, as well as a new $100million (£77m) stadium built in 2008.

The method in which Irarragorri has run the club has gained plaudits - and he stepped down as club president this week to focus on taking the model used at Santos outside of Mexico.

Efforts to chase up the link to Newcastle have proved futile so far but Irarragorri has been anything but subtle about Orlegi Sports purchasing new football clubs outside of Mexico.

So far the group, which has its own director of football, owns the aforementioned Santos, Atlas FC and second division side Tampico Madero .

The firm have made no secret of their desire to buy a club in Europe.

Speaking earlier this year at a business conference in London, Irarragorri was asked about buying clubs in other countries: "Definitely," he replied, "that is what we're looking for."

The group is keen to take their successful model out of Mexico not only to benefit their business but promote Mexican football to a global audience, too.

But what is this strategy which has proved so popular - and how does success with football fit into a business model of a company which needs to make a profit?

"Football is involved in everything," Irarragorri said.

"There are a lot of synergies that are created but, to me, the opportunities in investing in football comes from this business which is totally linked to the community which has a very important role to create value in many ways, and also has become a multi-million industry that also needs professional management.

"When we started, our challenge was to create infrastructure, to create structure and then to create the right processes. That is how we concentrated our efforts first.

"This was to achieve three goals - continuous growth, sports success and profitability - you need to continue this profitability in order to keep doing the origin of football, which is to create value for the community.

"The way we look at is not probably the most profitable way for the business we run but, when you put in the value you create to the community, then it becomes a real profitable business in every sense of the word."

This would be music to the ears of most football fans - community first, sensible spending but with the aim of competing.

Santos have won a league title on average every three years over the last 12, including the 2017/18 title - but Irarragorri knows that a successful team cannot rely on its past.

"In football the success of yesterday is only the door to a new challenge - so we're always busy in the present moment," he added.

"We are not obsessed with Championships - we are obsessed with the process, we are obsessed with continuous growth.

"Today our challenge is how do we replicate this model we run in Mexico - elsewhere. We believe in this global world, this global community, multi-team strategy and that is where we are focusing our energy."

This approach with Orlegi is something that would appeal - the desire to be grow and win titles is an obvious difference to Mike Ashley's approach.

However, the want to make a club sustainable and part of the community isn't too dissimilar - it's small margins.

A takeover of Newcastle United is likely to come out of the blue, with both Ashley and reported suitors having been stung in recent years over the public nature in which supposed talks have played out.

But the club remains on the market for the right buyer and, given that Premier League status is secured, the hope is that one will come along sooner, rather than later.