Reports today from BBC 5 Live claim English Premiership side
Newcastle United have held talks with German manager Ottmar Hitzfeld over the Toon vacancy.
Hitzfeld is currently the centre of a fans campaign and is the fans choice to replace sacked Graeme Souness according to a poll carried out by North East newspaper the Evening Chronicle.
The Magpies are also believed to have had talks with former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill but face stiff competition for the services of both managers.
O'Neill is to have talks with the Football Association in coming weeks over the soon to be England vacancy where as two-times
Champions League winner Hitzfeld is highly regarded by his own FA, the DFB.
Former German star Steffan Effenberg claimed last week: "If I was in charge then I would get rid of Klinsmann right away and get Ottmar Hitzfeld in.
Other names linked with the Magpies job include
Bolton's Sam Allardyce, Wigan's Paul Jewell, former
Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and ex-manager Kevin Keegan.
It remains to be seen just who the Geordies appoint but it would now appear to be a two-horse race for a job Chairman Freddy Shepherd claims to be one of the best in world football.
