EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE: Mike Ashley was hours away from confirming the £300million sale of Newcastle United last week only for the Saudi owners in-waiting to insist on a delay.

The versatile left back had impressed for Rennes this season before the coronavirus pandemic halted play, helping guide his side to third in Ligue 1 with 10 matches remaining.

Newcastle United's Saudi Arabian takeover, led by Amanda Staveley, will face renewed scrutiny this week from the Premier League after further complaints from human rights activists.

The Saudi consortium's proposed takeover means that they are set to hold an 80 per cent stake in the club, putting American Henry Mauriss' attempt to buy Newcastle on the back burner.

With protesting voices growing louder over the potential sale of Newcastle United to a Saudi-backed consortium, question marks have appeared over whether the deal will go through or not.

Newcastle United are reportedly prepared to make Mauricio Pochettino one of the best-paid managers in the world, should the impending takeover go through.

Manchester United held formal discussions with Inter Milan over the 26-year-old Belgium striker in London on Thursday, although it's understood that no formal offer has been made.

Romelu Lukaku was 'bored' at Manchester United and needed to leave for his own happiness, according to his international boss Roberto Martinez. 

The Duke of Sussex was reportedly in Buckingham Palace yesterday for a series of meetings to plan his future work in the UK while wife Meghan returned to their son Archie in Canada.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, 44, began displaying mild flu-like symptoms, including a low fever, on Wednesday night. She is currently self-isolating at her Ottawa home as she awaits test results.

Manny Ranga, 38, along with his wife Violeta Perez, 37, from Vancouver, Canada bought boxes of the wipes from their local Costco only to resell them at upwards of four times what they paid.

A former traveler on board the MSC Meraviglia got off in Miami on March 8 leaving the ship's 103 remaining passengers to continue on to the next destination. He tested positive for coronavirus.

Trump retweeted the Navy boasting the USNS Mercy was 'under way' for Los Angeles after leaving port in San Diego Monday. In reality after 24 hours it was just nine miles from port.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have finally reached the promised land of California and they are within kissing distance of Hollywood, no doubt their intended destination all along.

Meghan Markle's high school sweetheart Luis Segura was spotted in LA, DailyMail.com photos show. He's a real estate agent in Pasadena, where the royal couple are looking for homes.

SHENG XUE: There is a virus stalking the world. It is a nasty organism that leaves death, destruction and misery in its wake. It began in China, but don't be fooled, it did not start last year in Wuhan.

Francois Brunelle, from Quebec, has always been fascinated by doppelgangers and has spent 16 years on his I'm Not a Look-Alike Project which features identical strangers.

Harris, 32, was killed when she was thrown from the motorcycle she was riding through a plate-glass window while filming a stand-in scene for actress Zazie Beetz on location in Vancouver, Canada.

Fifi Box and Brendan Fevola have flawless on-air chemistry on their FOX FM radio show Fifi, Fev & Byron.

Scott Eagar was devastated after his beloved GWS Giants number plates were stolen from his car in Kogarah in Sydney's south on Friday.

Richmond and Carlton ran on to a completely deserted Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Round 1 blockbuster which would normally attract a 90,000 strong crowd.

AFL WAG Bec Judd is sharing more pearls of wisdom with her fans during the corornavirus lockdown.  

Rebecca Judd has been balancing looking after her four children with her thriving activewear brand Jaggad. 

The Sunrise host was in the middle of a cross to the 8.30 news on Thursday morning when she spotted the man running by the studio window.

The Big Brother Australia reboot will premiere on Channel Seven in June, with sources revealing it's just four weeks away from debuting on TV screens. 

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Gibram Cruz returned home to California to say goodbye to his mom, Rocio Gomez, who is scheduled for deportation on January 2 and doesn't expect he will be able to see her again.

Authorities said they arrested Amir Attia, 45, of Tustin, California, on Wednesday, in connection with the incident that allegedly occurred in July 2018, when he was driving the woman to her home.

Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 28, also singled out Madam Tussauds and a double decker tourist bus as targets, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

John Howard Waddell, 54, appeared pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a range of offences including sexual assault, assaulting a police officer, possession of child exploitation material.

The virus-carrier was reportedly one of 250 delegates at the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre in central London, whose star speaker was Boris Johnson 's Buses Minister, Baroness Vere.

Kingston Crescent Surgery in Portsmouth bolted its doors at 4.30pm today following a suspected coronavirus case. Two MPs have self-isolated after going to a conference attended by a sufferer.

Angela Richardson, the new representative for Guildford, toured an electric bus parked outside Westminster's Queen Elizabeth II Centre on February 6.

Onur Dedeoglu, 39, is on trial in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court over the alleged sexual assault of the teenager, who can't be named for legal reasons.

Ahmad Ahmad, 53, picked up two people from a bar in downtown New Orleans just after midnight on Saturday and had been requested to take them to the Kenner area in Louisiana, cops say.

Police in Puebla, Mexico, rearrested three suspects linked to the murders of three students and their Uber driver, and charged them with homicide and vehicle theft.

The meeting of Sam Thompson's ex-girlfriend Tiffany Watson and new love Zara McDermott has been the cause of much strife during the current series of Made In Chelsea.

Brendan Fevola has revealed that he's finally deleted the Uber Eats app, after splashing out more than $35,000 on the food delivery service.   

CHRIS FOY'S WORLD OF RUGBY: It's a fascinating conundrum which clubs are wrestling with more than ever - do England players offer value for money in this era of top-end wage inflation?

The 29 year-old suffered a small tear and the initial concern was that he would be sidelined for up to six weeks. But Gayle is likely to return to training in two to three weeks and resume playing next month.

No ground in the top four divisions sits as far above sea level as The Hawthorns, and West Bromwich Albion now believe they have a manager capable of taking them to those heights.

Championship leaders West Brom want a wide forward to bolster their attacking options after talks over a deal for Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Orsic stalled.

ADAM SHERGOLD AT GRIFFIN PARK: Joe Lolley certainly isn't melting in the intensifying heat of the Championship promotion race as Nottingham Forest ratcheted up the pressure on the top two.

Slaven Bilic wants extra pace and firepower to bolster his attack and has earmarked the 24-year-old Robinson to help inject fresh impetus into Albion's title challenge.

ROSS HEPPENSTALL AT ELLAND ROAD: There was no meltdown at Elland Road this afternoon, none of the kind of recent angst which had raised fears that Leeds are falling apart again.

Crystal Palace retain an interest in West Brom's Nathan Ferguson after the defender underwent surgery this week.

West Brom striker Charlie Austin has gone on a foul-mouthed Twitter rant - calling one Southampton fan a cheeky c*** and accusing them of being s*** fans after tweeting about social media.

Charlie Austin has been asked by the Football Association to explain his offensive comments aimed at Southampton fans on social media, the PA news agency understands.

Everton 'are targeting a summer move' for Newcastle United's £30million-rated Allan Saint-Maximin. The 22-year-old winger has been one of the bright sparks in Newcastle's season.

Cullen has caught the eye this term during his second season on loan at Championship Charlton, emerging as one of the division’s standout midfielders despite the Addicks' struggles.

Championship leaders Leeds United believe it is 'vital' for the current season to be finished and are prepared to play behind closed doors to do so as they chase Premier League promotion.