NEWCASTLE UNITED are unlikely to have new owners before the end of the year, with time running out for Mike Ashley to get a deal over the line.

While Rafa Benitez is trying to focus on getting things right on the pitch by holding regular discussions with the Magpies’ recruitment team ahead of the opening of the January window, Ashley is waiting for one of the interested parties to get a takeover across the line.

Peter Kenyon’s consortium, working with Rockefeller Capital Management in the United States, is now believed to be the clear favourite to get a deal over the line despite expressions of interest from a couple of other interested parties.

Kenyon is determined to get back into a Premier League club after his spells with Chelsea and Manchester United, and is believed to have agreed a deal in principle for £300m to be paid in staggered amounts according to reports.

The finer details of such an agreement still have to be discussed, while Kenyon, who has previously been working with Middlesbrough in an advisory role, has been working on showing to Ashley that he has the necessary funds behind him to complete the takeover.

While Ashley wants to sell up, he is also reluctant to go down the road he did at this time last year when he felt Amanda Staveley refused to offer in excess of £250m. He is now prepared to consider staggered payments, something he was reluctant to do with Staveley, although ideally, he would prefer it all in one go.

But even if Kenyon, who has been granted access to the club’s accounts, and Ashley do reach agreement over the terms then they will have to wait for Premier League ratification – and that could delay things for weeks. Newcastle are known to be pursuing a move for Atlanta United playmaker Miguel Almiron and Benitez is pushing to progress transfers regardless of takeover talks.

They have been linked with a second Japanese international this week too. They have checked out winger Ritsu Doan.

Reports in Holland have indicated that Newcastle’s scouts have been watching the 20-year-old in recent months and have been impressed by his performances in the Eredivisie with Groningen.

Newcastle would like another winger and Doan has been tracked by Manchester City, although clearly his opportunities at the English champions would be more limited.

Doan has just been named in Japan's squad for the Asia Cup in the UAE next month, but Newcastle have been boosted to learn team-mate Yoshinori Muto will not be heading to the Middle East.

Muto was expected to head away with Japan from January 5 to February 1, with Japan set to play at least three group games against Turkmenistan, Oman and Uzbekistan.

But Muto’s recent calf injury, and the fact he has just become a father, has led to him being given dispensation by the Japanese FA to sit out.

He will now stay on Tyneside to compete for a first team place, with Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez ahead of him in the pecking order.

Perez headed in Newcastle’s goal against Wolves on Saturday from Rondon’s brilliant cross and the latter’s performances in the final third are of the sort Benitez has been searching for since taking over.

Perez said: “We are getting to know each other more and more which is good. Rondon is a great player, he makes it easier to play next to him so it’s really good. I’m enjoying that position next to him.

“The idea is we can bring goals to the team that’s our job and connecting with each other that’s a good connection.”

Despite Perez’s goal against Wolves, Newcastle still lost 2-1 to stay just three points clear of the relegation zone. Huddersfield sit just below the drop zone line, so this weekend’s meeting of the two at the John Smith’s Stadium has greater significance.

“It’s not extra pressure,” said Perez, knowing the visit of bottom club Fulham comes after the Huddersfield test. “If we play as we were playing against Wolves, until that moment we were doing well, we’re going to have chances for sure. We know what to do with the ball, which is important, and these kind of games are really important.”

Perez, at the centre of an elbow row against Wolves when Willy Boly left him floored in the penalty area, was left annoyed by Newcastle’s defeat at St James’ Park – particularly when DeAndre Yedlin was sent off before he felt Boly should have been.

He said: “It’s really frustrating, they didn’t deserve to win, I think we were better than then 11 v 11 but the sending off makes a massive difference.

“Still they didn’t create so much that and it wasn’t fair at all. I think we were doing well, it was a better performance compared to the one against West Ham.

“We were doing well, we were doing good between the lines, we were quite comfortable with that line of five.

“We were doing well overall but these things make a difference and it was harder to go forward but still we shouldn’t have lost the game.”

Newcastle lined up with a five at the back for the second game in a row and he thinks they have looked quite well with that formation.

When they head for Huddersfield, Fabian Schar will be available again after suspension so Benitez's options at the back will increase. He will monitor the fitness of Federico Fernandez.

Perez said: “We had been working for a couple of days with that. I think it worked, we did well until the sending off. I think we were controlling the game, having the ball and trying to go forward but then that happened and it becomes harder.”