Newcastle reportedly face £5m minimum compensation to lure Steve Bruce to club

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Newcastle would have to pay over £5 million to land Steve Bruce as their new manager from Sheffield Wednesday, according to a report by the Times.

The report says that the Wednesday contract he signed in February contains a hefty compensation clause and the club are ready to play hardball over letting Bruce leave.

It also remains to be seen whether the Magpies will pay the money to land the man who looks to be their number one choice to take over from Rafa Benitez.

The report also says Bruce has now asked Wednesday for permission to speak to Newcastle, but they are reluctant to allow it.

Bruce was already an underwhelming choice to replace Benitez, given his poor recent history in the Premier League and his connection to Sunderland, who he used to manage.

But it could be explained away by Ashley wanting to be cheap and unambitious. The fact that Bruce looks set to cost a serious chunk of compensation makes the swoop even harder to comprehend.

Perhaps it’s simply the prospect of having a manager who may have thought his top flight days were over and supported the club as a boy – and therefore won’t push back as much as Benitez did – that appeals.

That said, it really would not be a surprise if the compensation package put Ashley off.