Newcastle United are closing in on a deal that will see Steve Bruce become their new manager and they hope to have an agreement concluded by the weekend.

That's according to The Telegraph, who state that negotiations are at an advanced stage with the 58-year-old and as long as there are no surprising late issues that arise, everything should be sorted in the next 48 hours.

Bruce will then link up with his new squad as they prepare to take on Wolves in China on Tuesday in a pre-season friendly.

It has become clear over the past few days that the Owls boss is the number one target for Mike Ashley as he searches for a successor to Rafa Benitez and it will be a real blow for the Championship side.

Bruce only took over at Hillsborough earlier this year and made an instant impact, with his arrival sparking a very unlikely late play-off push, although they ultimately came up short.

Therefore, this will be a major setback for the Yorkshire side who kick-off their new campaign against Reading in just over three weeks time.

The Verdict

This is an appointment that will not go down well on Tyneside and you can understand why as Bruce has not proven himself to be a Premier League manager in the recent years and he also managed their bitter rivals Sunderland too.

As well as that, it's a significant setback for Wednesday because he was doing a fine job with the Owls and looked to be building something impressive.

However, the chance to take over a top-flight side, and the club that Bruce supports, will be too much to turn down.

Now, Wednesday need to have a plan in place to name a replacement as soon as possible.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.