12:25

Here we go again – and down an extremely familiar path this time. We are talking potential takeovers of Newcastle United – reports of deals being supposedly close tend to average about two a year – and the news that Peter Kenyon is back for a second attempt at trying to buy Mike Ashley out.

This time the former Chelsea and Manchester United chief executive has teamed up with GACP sports – a Florida based investment firm who hold a 14 per cent stake in Bordeaux – and they have produced a 46-page document outlining their plans for Newcastle should Ashley agree to a £125m down payment with the remainder of the £300m asking price paid in instalments over three years. Kenyon would be chief executive.

While the brochure is genuine it all seems highly unlikely to actually happen. As Ashley himself said in a rare interview in the summer when a successful takeover at St James’ Park finally happens the overwhelmingly odds are that it will be conducted in such discretion no one bar the involved parties will get a hint of anything being in the offing until it is announced. Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi buyout serves as the template for the deals that actually happen rather than are merely talked up.

Newcastle, as is their habit in such situations – think Amanda Staveley, think the Dubai-based Bin Zayed Group, think Kenyon’s initial attempt – are saying nothing but the brochure raised more questions than answers. Not least why would a buyer confident of pulling off a takeover leak details to a newspaper?

As Steve Bruce, who said the first he heard of it was Friday morning and that he had not spoken to Ashley recently, said: “Watch this space”He did not add “with a considerable degree of scepticism” but such an approach is probably prudent ...