Source: Daily_Mail
Kinnear: Toon want me back and I could return in December
Joe Kinnear confirmed Newcastle United had offered him the chance to return to the club as manager.
The Irishman insisted he was on the verge of reclaiming the managerial seat at St James' Park that he was forced to give up last season after suffering heart problems.
Kinnear, 62, says he turned down the club's first offer because of his ill health, saying originally he would not be fit to manage again until December. But he insisted he could be in charge again within a month.
Mike Ashley and his managing director, Derek Llambias, are still insisting the club is for sale, although billionaire owner Ashley has not ruled out staying on if his £100million asking price is not met.
Alan Shearer waits for the call to return as manager, three months after his last meeting with Ashley, but he looks destined to return tothe Match of the Day studio for the BBC's first televised Football League game this weekend.
Kinnear's insistence that he has been offered a fresh chance to manage the club has only muddied the waters on the eve of the new season.
He said: 'I spoke to Derek Llambias. We had a long chat and he offered me a two-year contract.
'They wanted to announce it last week but I've put it on hold and that's as far as we've got. I was due to go back for the pre-season friendlies but I've told them I need another month.
'I've got one more visit to the hospital, and up until now everything has gone well. I'm hoping this time next month I'll have the all-clear so I can get back into football.
'Hopefully, the opportunity will still be there but the club could be sold or someone else has taken the job.'
Newcastle fans, who vented their frustration in a fans' forum with the BBC, will be hoping Ashley can secure a sale of the club sooner rather than later, especially if the new owners offer Shearer the manager's job.
For although Kinnear, who was promoting the computer game Championship Manager 2010at Villa Park, insisted he could have kept the club in the Barclays Premier League last season, he won only five of his 26 matches in charge.
However, Shearer won just one of his eight games in the hot seat. Kinnear is still recovering from the heart surgery which forced him to quit Newcastle at the turn of the year and he says he needs the all-clear from doctors before he is able to return to work.
The club refused to comment on his claims but, when reports surfaced on a possible return for the former Wimbledon boss three weeks ago, they were vehemently denied by the hierarchy.
Ashley is hoping to sell several players before the weekend, with Tottenham believed to be prepared to make an improved offer for French defender Sebastien Bassong after a £10m bid was turned down this week.
Aston Villa also want Senegal defender Habib Beye, and Wolves are interested in former Manchester United and England midfielder Nicky Butt.
