Manchester City development coach Patrick Vieira is under consideration for the top job at Newcastle United.

The Mail on Sunday says Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is pursuing City's Elite Development Squad coach with the promise of releasing the financial purse strings at the club this summer.

Vieira has made no secret of his ambition to be a first-team manager despite being highly-regarded at City for his work with the club's Under 21 players.

But he will seek assurances from Ashley that he will be given a fighting chance of being competitive in the Premier League following the club's recent relegation scare which went up until the final day of the season.

Steve McClaren remains the bookmakers favourite for the job but Newcastle were unhappy that he turned down the opportunity to manage them for the last three matches of last season when they were in deep trouble.