The Daily Mail's Craig Hope has revealed a fresh twist over Newcastle United's pursuit of Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers as they hunt for a replacement for Steve Bruce.

What's the story?

Reports from Sky in Italy had initially suggested that Rodgers was the Magpies' number one target to replace Bruce at St James' Park, but it appears PIF have already suffered an early blow in their quest for a new manager.

Hope delivered a late night update on where things stand with the Tyneside club's pursuit of the former Liverpool boss, insisting that Rodgers would reject any offer from Newcastle and that instead, he has his eye on the potential job at Manchester City once Pep Guardiola leaves.

Early blow for PIF

While Leicester might not have enjoyed the greatest starts to their Premier League campaign thus far - they find themselves in the bottom half of the table with just two wins from their opening seven games - that shouldn't detract from the wonderful work Rodgers has done since taking over at the King Power.

As well as winning the FA Cup last season when he masterminded a triumph over Premier League champions Manchester City to the trophy, he has guided the Foxes to back-to-back Europa League places by finishing fifth in his two full seasons in charge.

Rodgers has overseen the development of a number of young, promising players, including the likes of Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans, while he's established an eye-catching style of playing too.

It was no surprise to hear that PIF had made the Northern Irishman their number one managerial target to take over from Bruce, but this latest update from Hope is sure to have them fuming.

For all the money and investment they can promise to make, they desperately need a manager who can lead from the front and take the Magpies out of the current mire that they're in.

Rodgers would have been perfect for that given his recent credentials.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are keen on making this landmark appointment...