A journalist has revealed what top sources close to Mike Ashley have now said about the future of Steve Bruce at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Poor start

After the 2-1 loss at Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday, the Magpies sit 19th in the table, having picked up no wins and a mere three points from their first seven games (Premier League).

Of course, Bruce has been in a similar position before and managed to avoid relegation in the end, but it is not a guarantee that he can do so again.

The Latest: Bruce’s future

Writing in his latest piece for The Sun, Alan Nixon has revealed what top sources close to both Bruce and Ashley have said about the manager’s future at St James’ Park.

Ashley will not pull the trigger on Bruce despite the recent poor run of results, as his priority remains finding a buyer and trying to push through the proposed takeover from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The chief executive of Sports Direct also knows that it would take £3m out of his bank account to sack Bruce, plus more to get rid of his backroom staff, while hiring a replacement also takes that bill higher than what he is willing to pay.

The Verdict: Worth the risk

If results carry on like this, then Newcastle will find themselves in a relegation battle once more under Bruce, who is far from a popular figure among the fan base. Therefore, it is time for Ashley to bite the bullet and bring a new coach in order to offer some fresh ideas and hopefully give a new manager bounce.

The chances of the takeover going through are far from certain, so the owner must act now before it is too late in terms of their top-flight future.

In other news, find out what controversial beIN reveal has been dropped on the takeover