Unai Emery is on his way back to the Premier League.
Well, that is according to various reports as the former Arsenal head coach has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Steve Bruce as Newcastle United's next manager.
Bruce became the first casualty following the Saudi Arabian takeover at the club when he was sacked last month, but steps are being taken to appoint his replacement before Saturday's clash against Brighton and Hove Albion.
As per the Telegraph, bringing Emery to St James' would cost £6million in compensation to Villarreal and a draft contract has been presented to the Spaniard's advisors.
Furthermore, the report states that there is hope negotiations can be completed swiftly.
However, it is understood there is some work to be done in terms of wages with both parties some way apart at this stage.
One of the reasons behind the Magpies' pursuit of Emery is his previous experience in England - that mixed 18-month spell in north London with the Gunners where he was on the brink of sealing Champions League football only to lose in the Europa League final to Chelsea and miss out on a top-four finish in his first season.
Then after a slow start to the 2019/20 campaign, the Spaniard was relieved of his duties by Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke in November 2019.
But almost two years on from his dismissal and Emery appears to be coming back to England for a second spell as his ability to put together strong teams has also caught the eye of the decision-makers at Newcastle.
Interestingly, he will have to show he's capable of working his magic in the January transfer window and assemble a squad that is capable of avoiding relegation to the Championship.
And given his previous ties to Arsenal, could Emery raid his former club in the new year?
That remains to be seen, but it would appear that the Spaniard's dream Newcastle signing from the Gunners would be Hector Bellerin having been linked with a move for the right-back in the recent summer transfer window.
According to SkySport journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Emery was keen on being reunited with the 26-year-old as the pair enjoyed a strong relationship from their 18 months together at Arsenal.
Of course, Emery didn't get his wish of being reunited with Bellerin in the summer as the defender joined Real Betis on a season-long loan deal.
This agreement represents a problem for Newcastle's prospective next manager if he wanted to push for the right-back in January as the Spaniard has already hinted at wanting to sign for Betis permanently.
"I don’t know [about my future plans],” Bellerin said in an interview with El Desmarque. "But I’ve always said it: 'If I didn’t want to be here next year, I wouldn’t have come from the beginning'.
"There are many things to be decided but what I want to do is enjoy the year that I am here.
"And what has to happen will happen."
