Rafa Benitez's contract situation remains cloudy with Newcastle United no longer expecting takeover this season

Talks haven't progressed with the two parties negotiating a deal for Mike Ashley's stake in the club

While Newcastle United's takeover saga seems destined never to end, Rafael Benitez's contract is still set to do exactly that at the end of this season.

It is a situation that leaves the club in flux - exacerbated by their battle against relegation - and waiting for answers.

Mike Ashley has been openly looking to sell club he bought in 2007 since last year and in December announced that he wished to complete a sale before the January transfer window, with two interested parties having signed non-disclosure agreements.

Sources have told The Independent that no real progress has been made in 2019 with investment consortiums looking to buy the club from Ashley, despite Amanda Staveley, a financier whose group have been linked to the club for some months now, claiming this week that her group still retained an interest in buying Newcastle.

“We are big fans of Newcastle, big fans of the team," she told The National, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi.

"We are sensible people who invest other people’s money. We would also put our own capital in – of course we would. But with financial fair play rules, all football clubs have to be financially stable."

Staveley also suggested Ashley's frustrated comments about her being a "timewaster" were "water under the bridge", though she made no guarantees of progress in talks. Ashley's £300m asking price remains a barrier with the club yet to secure Premier League survival, and should the club be relegated then manager Benitez, considered one of the club's most valuable assets, is near-certain to walk away.

Should Newcastle secure their Premier League status there is a hope that bidders may come back to the negotiating table and that the Spanish coach could be convinced to extend his stay in the north-east, at a club where he counts on immense support from the fanbase.

What happens at board level remains out of Benitez's hands, but keeping the Magpies in the Premier League would be a crucial first step towards resolving Newcastle United's still uncertain future.