Former Newcastle boss Graeme Souness admits he would return to St James' Park "in a heartbeat" now that Freddy Shepherd has left the club.
Harry Redknapp on Saturday turned down the role following Sam Allardyce's exit - and Newcastle have been told by Portsmouth they will be wasting their time making any more bids for the 60-year-old.
Asked on Sky Sports 1 if he would be interested in going back, Souness said: "With [there now being] a different chairman, most certainly."
When pressed on whether he would take the job if it was offered to him, he added: "In a heartbeat. It is a big club, one of the big clubs out there.
"It has got the potential to be one of the best. But it's not a quick fix, and whoever goes in there is going to need certainly a minimum of three or four years."