It's been a strange old year for Newcastle United supporters.
As well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has swept the nation, the Tynesiders have had to deal with constant uncertainty surrounding their club.
After finishing the Premier League campaign the Magpies were hoping to finalise a deal that could change the footballing landscape significantly.
A proposed £300million takeover from a Saudi-backed consortium, and fronted by Amanda Staveley, would have seen the club become the richest in the Premier League.
With Mike Ashley accepting the offer, all it needed was ratification from the authorities for the deal to go ahead.
Unfortunately for supporters that didn't come and the buying party withdrew their interest.
Since then there's been plenty of speculation over what comes next, but according to a report from the Shields Gazette, it seems a new bidder is entering the fray.
It's claimed that the BN Group are keen to invest in the club.
Co-founded by Evangeline Shen and Nelson and Terence Loh, the potential investors describe themselves as a “leading player on the world stage”, with investments in 100 countries and a global annual revenue of £9billion.
It's understood that the group have submitted all preliminary paperwork to Ashley's lawyers - including proof of funds and intent to pay a non-refundable deposit of £250,000.
While the group themselves have no track record in football, the report claims that former Newcastle United man Michael Chopra is fronting the bid on behalf of the BN Group.
GIVEMESPORT'S Phil Spencer says...
And so the madness starts again.
Newcastle United supporters are desperate for a takeover to happen as they look to get rid of Mike Ashley.
Thankfully for them, he appears to be doing everything possible to make a deal happen.
While the failed pursuit of the PIF has left many supporters angry and upset, it's reassuring that fresh interest has come forward.
While the BN Group has no track record of football it's interesting to see a former player getting involved as part of the deal.
Michael Chopra is a known Newcastle fan and so his involvement will convince supporters that the prospective buyers have the club's best interests at heart.
We're clearly still in the very early stages of this process, but the report suggests that the consortium are genuine in their interest, and not time-wasters like we've seen before.
Supporters need a deal to go through if they're to fully get behind the club again, and hopefully this could be the first of many steps towards that goal.