Newcastle United's pursuit of Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Bruce has potentially hit a snag, as the Owls play hard-ball over their current boss.

The Owls have been widely expected to lose Bruce to Newcastle in the last few days as the Tyneside club search for a replacement for the departed Rafa Benitez.

However, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, the Magpies' move for Bruce has potentially hit the rocks, with Wednesday looking for a much higher fee than Mike Ashley's men might have expected in order to release Bruce from his contract.

Newcastle's move for Bruce has come as a surprise of sorts given his current tenure at Hillsborough is very much in its infancy, with the former Hull and Birmingham City manager only arriving in Sheffield back in February.

Bruce though is from the North-East and has always been keen on a spell managing Newcastle, rendering Wednesday almost powerless to resist with the Premier League club knocking firmly on the door in S6.

However, Wednesday don't appear to be giving Bruce up without a fight, and are looking to maximise the deal they get for the 58-year-old and his coaching staff, with Downie reporting he still sees the deal as very much happening.

Wednesday take on Lincoln City this weekend in a friendly which could see Bruce spend his last game in charge of the club. With so much speculation surrounding his future, the Owls gaffer is bound to find himself firmly under the microscope if no deal is announced prior to kick-off.

The Verdict

It still looks like this is just a matter of when and not if in all honesty, and I can't see Newcastle being too bothered about paying a bit more to get their man.

For Wednesday, the quicker this is sorted the better, as they can't be having this lingering on for another week or so as the new season gets ever closer.

The time is now for the Owls to start striking in the transfer market, and uncertainty over who the manager will be won't help that at all. Whichever way this ends up going, it needs sorting, and quickly.