Newcastle United are ready to make an official approach for the Sheffield Wednesday manager, Steve Bruce, according to the Sun.
The newspaper claims Bruce is now Newcastle’s top target and would ‘jump at the chance’ to lead his boyhood club, with his Owls assistants, Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence, ‘likely to follow’.
And it adds that the Magpies are ‘willing to pay’ the compensation figure required to free the north-east native from his one-year rolling contract – ‘thought to be no more than £1 million’.
Newcastle have struggled to attract any of their rumoured targets since their previous boss, Rafa Benitez, walked out of St James’ Park a fortnight ago, with Mikel Arteta, Patrick Vieira and Roberto Martinez having each rejected moves to the Magpies, according to the Sun.
The Newcastle owner, Mike Ashley, whom it’s claimed that Bruce may get to meet, and the Magpies, director, Lee Charnley (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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And Bruce’s affection for the club could make it hard for him to do likewise – although he is said to have turned them down on two occasions before now.
Even so, the Corbridge-born 58-year-old may wonder if he will ever get another chance to manage Newcastle, whom he never got to represent as a player.
Bruce was only handed the Sheffield Wednesday reins in January, and was allowed to delay his start date by almost a month for personal reasons, for which he later thanked the club.
Although, whether that will have any bearing on his decision, should he be given one to make, remains to be seen.
