Newcastle United could be sold this week.

The News of the World says Seymour Pierce, the brokers handling the sale, have received a formal bid from an international consortium with no links to the North East. The American group tabled a bid of around £100million on Friday after Barclays did the paperwork on a working overdraft of £25m to ensure the club can keep going in the short-term.

"A deal is nearly done, it's very close," said a source. "It could be announced as early as Tuesday or Wednesday next week."