As Newcastle’s proposed takeover continues to drag on by the day, there appears to be fresh reports coming to light that seem question whether it will happen at all.Aside from the piracy suggestion that has dominated the headlines, The Daily Star have suggested that chiefs from Serie A giants AS Roma have reached out to the Saudi consortium to discuss a possible takeover attempt should their bid to buy Newcastle collapse.The report suggested that with the takeover of the Magpies facing continued delays, the Italian side have made “discreet inquiries” to the Saudis, and that they “want it known that if the Newcastle bid is rejected, they would be interested in holding talks with bin Salman’s representatives again”.But now, journalist Paul Smith has poured cold water over those suggestions on Twitter, delivering some reassuring news to fans of the Tyneside club.

As is always the case when things don’t pan out smoothly, sensationalist stories begin to emerge, and a lot more pessimism begins to creep in.

But Smith’s update goes a long way to putting Newcastle supporters’ minds at ease, and it simply reaffirms the Saudi consortium’s commitment to buying the club.