Manchester United yesterday let it be known that they were not interested in signing Kieron Dyer, putting the onus firmly on Chelsea to make a move for the player.
Newcastle had discreetly sounded out the United directors and were told that they could not afford him.
That leaves the way clear for Chelsea's new owner Roman Abramovich to declare an interest in the England midfielder whom Newcastle have priced at £25 million.
Newcastle's chairman Freddy Shepherd and the club's owner Douglas Hall were due to be introduced to Abramovich by Ken Bates, Chelsea's chairman, at a gala dinner to mark the opening of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur last night.
One stumbling block is that Dyer would have been keen to join United, but not Chelsea, though Damien Duff was thought to have felt the same way before moving to Stamford Bridge for £17 million on Monday.
Newcastle's manager Bobby Robson would be extremely reluctant to lose the player and could imminently find himself on a collision course with his chairman.
Ironically, 18 months ago, United approached Shepherd in an attempt to secure Dyer, but, with the chairman aware of the depth of Robson's feelings, they were given short shrift.
Now, the reaction to any Chelsea overtures in the hotel, where Shepherd, Hall, Abramovich and Bates are all staying while their teams challenge for the Asia Cup, is likely to be far more encouraging.
Newcastle's board have no pressing need - or even desire - to sell the 24-year-old, but they maintain that no player is indispensable and would find a £20 million-plus fee, which could pay for three or four high-quality players, irresistible.
The directors are also conscious that several senior players were angered by a letter from Shepherd to the entire first-team squad last week stating that, if anyone misbehaved off the field, they would be thrown out of the club.
A group boasting exemplary records - including Gary Speed - forced a meeting with Robson to argue it was unfair to put them in the same bracket as Dyer, who's been involved in several off-field incidents during his four years on Tyneside. That said, Dyer calmed down appreciably last season.
• Manchester City agreed to pay £350,000 to the Proactive sports agency for negotiating the transfer of Mikkel Bischoff, a Denmark under-21 defender whose transfer fee was only £750,000 and who then made only one appearance for the club last season.
According to documents seen by the Guardian, City agreed to pay Proactive Scandinavia, which is part of the Cheshire-based Proactive group, £350,000 on top of the fee after signing him from AB Copenhagen 12 months ago.
