Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles admits talk of Philippe Coutinho and Gareth Bale moving to St James’ Park had him refreshing Twitter “every day”.
The Magpies may soon find themselves in a position to compete financially for the very best players on the market.
That is because a £300 million ($370m) takeover over the club continues to be mooted that will see big money from the Middle East pumped into the Tyneside outfit.
Such funds would allow Newcastle to shop for the elite, with there already suggestions that they could look to lure Bale and Coutinho back to the Premier League from Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
Lascelles admits to having initially been caught up in that hype, although he has now learned to turn a deaf ear to the rumours.
The Magpies skipper told the Daily Mail of the long-running takeover gossip: “It seemed like it would be a fantastic thing from what I was first reading on Twitter.
“At first I was seeing us linked with Gareth Bale and Philippe Coutinho and all this stuff.
“But the longer it goes on... well you don't necessarily doubt it but you realise there is no point every day waking up and just refreshing Twitter. So you just get on with your job. If it happens, it happens and if it doesn't, it doesn't.”
Lascelles added on the possible arrival of new owners: “It's a tough one because as players we don't know if it's a positive or a negative thing.
“If people come in are they going to bring a whole new squad and a new manager? Or are they going to come in and just do up the training ground and add a few players?”
Steve Bruce is trying to keep Newcastle’s focus locked on the present for now, with a top-half finish in the Premier League and FA Cup glory there to be shot at.
The Magpies will be in knockout action on Sunday when they take in a quarter-final clash with holders Manchester City, and Lascelles is hoping to bring a 65-year wait for major silverware to a close.
The 26-year-old defender said: “I don't know too much about the FA Cup other than it would be massive to win.
“Pep Guardiola has rested players ahead of this game so he obviously sees the importance of it too.
“It would be amazing to win some silverware and I know how much the fans would appreciate it.
“We have put ourselves in a great position in the league and a top-half finish would be fantastic. But I wouldn't swap that for the FA Cup. No way.”