Kevin Keegan will insist on a close working relationship with Derek Llambias, who is expected to be announced as the incoming Newcastle chairman.

Current chairman Chris Mort will leave later this summer to return to his work as a lawyer at Freshfields.

He has been at the club for less than a year following Mike Ashley's takeover in June 2007.

Mort was seen as an ally of Keegan but the Newcastle manager asked for a greater involvement in his summit meeting with Ashley two weeks ago.

Llambias is a former managing director of Fifty London, a capital gambling firm.