DUBAI financier Amanda Stavelely is weighing up whether to make a fresh offer to buy Newcastle United after Mike Ashley’s firm stance in takeover talks.

The Magpies’ owner has been offered the chance to sell for a one-off payment thought to be below £300m, having rejected an initial bid of £350m to be paid in instalments.

Negotiations have been ongoing since that first bid was made last week, which Staveley and her PCP Capital Partners hoped would have been successful.

Ashley outlined last month that he was prepared to accept payment in instalments to end his ten-year association with Newcastle. For that to happen, though, he is prepared to hold out for nearer the £400m asking price.

Last week’s offer is believed to have included a relegation clause as well as a three-year payment period, leading to Ashley resisting that larger offer.

Staveley and PCP are reluctant to match the figure he demands and there has been a period of negotiating since, and is likely to continue as they look to reach a compromise.

Ashley is unwilling to sell for that one-off bid nearer to £300m because it is considerably lower than the price-tag he has placed on his stake in Newcastle.

Rafael Benitez, the Newcastle manager, hopes something materialises so that it will strengthen his arm in the transfer market in the January transfer window.

It has been reported that the consortium led by PCP Capital Partners includes investors from both the Gulf and China.

The wrangling over an initial valuation of the club is thought to have delayed entering a period of exclusivity that would be required to close the sale.

The Premier League would also have to carry out its own fit and proper person test for Staveley to take control, and that cannot be concluded until the sale is finalised.

Ashley invested £134.4m in buying Newcastle a decade ago and he has poured an extra £129m into it in the form of interest free loans. He is keen to make a profit on his investment.

Benitez, whose side face Watford at St James’ Park on Saturday, is considering his options on the transfer front for January, with Besiktas’ Tosun being monitored.

Tosun has been watched numerous times by Newcastle’s representatives and they are understood to have been at the Vodafone Park in Istanbul last night to see Besiktas take on Porto in the Champions League.

The 26-year-old forward has scored ten times this season in 15 matches and was crucial to Besiktas winning the Turkish title in each of the last two seasons.