Manchester United legend Gary Neville is excited to see a 'thriving Newcastle United' again.
News emerged yesterday that PCP Capital Partners' takeover bid for the club has reached the Premier League's Owners and Directors' Test stage and the Mike Ashley era is closer than it has ever been to ending.
The bid, spearheaded by financier Amanda Staveley and also involving the Reuben brothers, Simon and David, is backed by the mega-rich Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.
There is excitement among supporters now a new era for the club is tantalisingly close and Neville is also excited about the prospect of a new dawn on Tyneside.
The former England defender has been vocal about how he felt the 'magic has died' at Newcastle and felt the hostile atmosphere that was synonymous with St James' Park had suffered a result.
And now he hopes 'the crowd is bouncing again' when he next visits the North East.
"Obviously there were moves made before this crisis happened. It looks like the price has been dropped slightly and it is obvious Mike Ashley wanted out, " Neville told The Football Show on Sky Sports.
"I have said this a number of times when I have been up to Newcastle in recent years that it feels like the magic has gone.
"There is certainly no connection between the boardroom and the fans. The players and the manager up there are always stuck in between.
"I think what we would all love to see is a thriving Newcastle United. Over the last 10-15 years the sway of investment has moved south. We have seen the emergence of the likes of Bournemouth, and Brighton but we have seen less investment in clubs in the North East and I think that is the general sway of the country.
"But to have a really strong Newcastle United, where that crowd is bouncing again - that is one of the great spectacles I remember from my early Premier League career.
"It was an amazing place to play football and it hasn't been like that for some time now."
