Mike Ashley

Newcastle supporters are planning a series of events aimed at undermining not only Mike Ashley's position as club owner but also to negatively affect his Sports Direct business. And Sportsmail understands he is ready to sell with talks planned with the Reliance Communications Group led by Indian businessman Anil Ambani on Monday.

Billionaire Ambani is the sixth richest man in the world with a personal wealth estimated at £21billion. He and his group plan to take control of a Premier League club and look for new revenue streams in the Indian market, with Newcastle considered ripe for the taking due to their current instability and Ashley's careful book-keeping.

In clearing the debts he unexpectedly inherited, he has spent a total of £230million since his ill-advised takeover. It would take an offer of at least £350m to tempt him into a sale.

Ashley is expected to return after the club's next game against Hull at St James' Park. Newcastle supporters look unlikely to boycott that game but there have been calls for a blanket ban on all club products and all of Ashley's stores, including Sports Direct, Sports Soccer and Lillywhites.

They will stage a visual protest during the Hull match and are threatening to boycott Shearer's bar, all bars inside the ground and some fans have cancelled direct debit payments for season tickets.

Despite the fans' reactions to Keegan's departure, Ashley is determined to stand by his European-style management formula until a new buyer is found.