THE ODD COUPLE

Alt-right icon Bannon kicking tires on Newsweek

Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist to President Trump and former head of the alt-right Breitbart News site, is eyeing Newsweek, The Post has learned.

Bannon’s interest in the 85-year-old magazine reflects his desire to get back into the news game, according to a person familiar with the Republican firebrand’s thinking.

Bannon met recently with top executives at Newsweek to discuss a possible deal — but was turned aside, sources said.

“He came calling recently and they turned him down,” said one source, speaking of Bannon.

Besides possible competition for the title, Bannon’s aspiration to own the legendary newsweekly has one big impediment — it’s not for sale.

“Newsweek is not for sale to anyone, including Steve Bannon,” a spokesman for Newsweek Media Group said.

But Bannon, ever the bulldog, is not taking no for an answer. He continues to gathering intelligence on the troubled company should it go into play, sources said.

Newsweek Media Group, previously known as IBT Media, has been under scrutiny from Manhattan Dis- trict Attorney Cy Vance, who is probing the company’s financial ties to Olivet University, a small California evangelical Christian College, sources said.

Olivet was founded by followers of the controversial Korean cleric Rev. David Jang.

NMG is said to be experiencing some financial stress.

It recently shut down its Latin Times site and laid off staffers. Its Medical Daily site is still active — but the number of posts has fallen to just a handful per day.

As for Bannon, he returned to Breitbart after getting forced out of the White House in August.

But the Breitbart gig ended in January — after he was quoted in Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury” badmouthing members of Trump’s family.

Key Breitbart backers were said to have forced his ouster.

The departure from the controversial site appears to have been bad for both parties.

Traffic to Breitbart is down markedly since Bannon left. And Bannon is said to have felt marginalized without a Web site to stir controversy.

Bannon could not be reached for comment.