THE terms of Steve Bruce’s anticipated departure from Newcastle United are still being discussed – with Amanda Staveley effectively waiting for the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) to give the green light for the manager’s dismissal.

Staveley visited Newcastle’s Little Benton training ground on Monday and held a discussion with Bruce, which was regarded as cordial and productive by both sides.

It was widely anticipated that Bruce’s departure would swiftly follow, but instead, the 60-year-old has continued to lead Newcastle’s preparations for Sunday’s home game with Tottenham.

Staveley and her fellow director, Jamie Reuben, are understood to have concluded that Bruce is not the man they want leading Newcastle in the long term, and hence his exit remains imminent.

However, the process of removing the current boss from his position has been complicated by the temporary executive-level structure that Newcastle’s owners have put in place following last week’s successful takeover.

In the absence of a new sporting director or chief executive, Newcastle’s new owners are adopting a collegiate decision-making process, with Staveley and Reuben’s key decisions having to be signed off by the PIF, who own 80 per cent of the club.

That is complicating matters, with Newcastle’s new non-executive chairman, Yasir al-Rumayyan, effectively having to rubber-stamp Bruce’s departure, but also being responsible for a myriad of other investments and business interests in his role as the governor of the PIF.

Newcastle’s ownership team are also having to work through the financial and contractual practicalities of removing Bruce from his current position. The Magpies manager will be due compensation of around £8m if he is dismissed, and there are also questions over which members of his backroom staff would remain on a temporary basis to help lead the team before a new permanent manager was appointed.

As things stand, while Graeme Jones is available to take charge on a temporary basis for Sunday’s game with Spurs, there is still a chance Bruce will be in the dug-out for Newcastle’s first game of the post-Mike Ashley era.

Indeed, Newcastle have announced that Bruce will be taking charge of the pre-match press conference, which is scheduled to take place at 1.30pm tomorrow.