JOHNGIBSON Let’s try to keep it real, shall we guys?

WE COULD BE HEADING FOR DREAMLAND... BUT REALLY?

WE ARE all dreamers shacked up on Fantasy Island, are we not?

That is what takeover talk does for you. Paupers about to become princes.

Maybe we are asking when on earth the Premier League will click into gear and deliver their verdict.

Geordies have already waited 13 years so we don’t need any more time in emotional lockdown.

However, we dream on but there is dreaming and there is absurdity and, I am afraid, United’s idle footballers have been indulging in nonsensical verbal gymnastics.

I mean, we have had Matt Richie suggesting Jonjo Shelvey could easily play for Barcelona and the Bald One weighing in by suggesting Martin Dubravka can earn himself “a massive, massive move to a top European club.” Just what we want to hear.

First of all let us deal with Ritchie’s rating of Shelvey.

Yes, he can pass a ball over 60 yards with a flick of his boot and see things where others are blind.

It is also true he cannot get round the pitch, does not work tirelessly off the ball, which is a Barca trait, is desperately inconsistent, and rarely if ever dictates the ebb and flow of a PL match.

Shelvey has had his crack at the so-called big time with Liverpool and England but failed to sustain either. He is lucky to have recently signed a new three-year contract at Newcastle never mind anything else because he has not been anywhere near an automatic midfield pick this season in an average team.

At times Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff have kept him out of the frame and no one is trying to elevate them to the Nou Camp.

Shelvey fully realises his current stature, which is why he quickly put pen to paper.

It would take more than giving up golf for him to play at Barcelona.

Ritchie reckons if he ditched his obsession with the small ball he would be rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerard

Pique, Ivan Rakitic and Frenkie de Jong. Really? I don’t want to be overly critical but I think not.

Next we will be advocating Joelinton can score a bagful of goals for Paris St Germain in tandem with Neymar, Christian Atsu provide the crosses for Cristiano Ronaldo to head in at Juventus and DeAndre Yedlin is perfect to run amok with Real Madrid down the right wing.

However, before we see a shoal of pink pigs flying past the window let us move on to Shelvey himself running off at the mouth.

Trying to big up Dubravka by saying he can get a massive transfer into Europe’s big time.

Yeah sell our best player for us, will you not Jonjo!

We are all grateful for that. Don’t you want to keep the standard at your own club as high as possible?

Anyway, with the impending takeover Newcastle could well become as big as most so I would suggest at 31 Dubravka would be shrewd to throw in his lot here long term.

Martin is a levelheaded lad and I am sure he can see the potential at

SJP if someone comes in with one iota of ambition.

As for Matt and Jonjo, they have had too much time to think but have spoken without giving it much thought!

Matt Ritchie (left) reckons Jonjo Shelvey (right) could play for Barcelona. While Shelvey says Martin Dubravka (far left) would be at home in a top European team