STEVE BRUCE has jokingly referred to a takeover at Newcastle United being "on the horizon" - before admitting he has no idea whether this week's developments will affect the chances of Amanda Staveley's Saudi-Arabia backed consortium completing a buyout of the club.

A series of revelations have come to light this week concerning contact between the Saudi Arabian ruler, Mohammed Bin Salman, and Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, with regard to the Saudi Public Investment Fund's (PIF) involvement in a deal to buy Newcastle.

Mike Ashley remain confident of being able to resurrect a deal with the investment arm of the Saudi state, with an independent arbitration process involving the Premier League set to get under way shortly.

Ashley's team are confident of being able to create a distinction between the Saudi regime and the PIF even though the Premier League indicated they regarded the two entities as one and the same.

When asked to comment on the mood in the camp this week in the wake of last weekend's 2-1 win at Burnley, Bruce said: "It seems very quiet for a change. But then again, there’s a takeover on the horizon isn’t there?"

However, when asked to clarify his position on this week's developments, he said: "I’ve got no opinion on it whatsoever.

"I don’t know enough about it. I don’t know where it sits or where it is. I’m really, genuinely, just focused on how we can get a result against West Ham."