Floyd Mayweather: If the People Want Me to Buy the Newcastle Team, Let Me Know!

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has made himself a surprise candidate to buy Newcastle United.  

At an event in the the city on Sunday, he responded to a question about potentially taking over the Premier League club with a tease likely to excite many Magpies fans.

Per TMZ Sports, the former six-weight boxing champion said:

"In the U.S. we call it soccer, but the Newcastle football team is an unbelievable team. If the people want me to buy the Newcastle team, let me know."

Newcastle's current owner, Mike Ashley, took over the club in 2007.

He is not a popular figure at St. James' Park, and it has recently been reported that a £340 million takeover involving the Saudi royal family could be in the offing, per MailOnline's Craig Hope.

Per TMZ Sports, Mayweather, 43, made in the region of $1 billion (£756.5 million) during his boxing career.

The American's first professional bout was against Roberto Apodaca in October 1996, and after winning his most recent fight against Conor McGregor in August 2017, he bowed out of the sport for a third time with a perfect 50-0 record.

Money said at the end of last year, though, that he would come out of retirement in 2020:

It would help with funding any bid he might make for Newcastle, who will be hopeful of retaining their Premier League status in 2020.

Steve Bruce's side earned a vital 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday to move up to 13th in the table, eight points clear of the drop.

They have nine games remaining in the 2019-20 season and may already have enough points to secure their top-flight future for another term.

But Bruce will be warning his side against complacency and looking towards Saturday's home fixture against in-form Sheffield United.