Revealed? This could be the eye-watering fee Mike Ashley spent to bring Steve Bruce to Newcastle United

It is suspected that Bruce, who swapped South Yorkshire for his boyhood club in July 2019, is the subject of a ‘Confidential Compensation Package’ totalling £6,475,000 included in the club’s accounts.

The fee, which would also include compensation for the services of his assistants Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence, would represent the highest fee ever received by Sheffield Wednesday for a player.

Dr Dan Plumley, a football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, told the Sheffield Star on ‘Confidential Compensation Packages’: “Usually it’s linked to the early termination of contracts. More often than not, when you see higher numbers in this it’s a player or a managerial contract.

“We obviously don’t know the full details, as it is stated, it’s confidential. But normally these things are related to contractual obligations for players or managers.”

Bruce is currently under pressure at St James’s Park amid a poor run of form which has left Newcastle United in relegation danger.

The Magpies are just one point clear of the drop zone, albeit they have played a game less than Fulham in 17th.

But the bookmakers are tipping Newcastle to drop down to the Championship this term, with the Cottagers resurgent in recent weeks and placing pressure on the sides above them.

Despite fans calling for Bruce to depart, reports have suggested a change in the dugout is not imminent.

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