“Despite reports to the contrary, Newcastle United have not agreed any fees with Aston Villa over the sale of Craig Bellamy and Aaron Hughes,” said a statement on the club’s official website, www.nufc.co.uk.

“News broke saying the pair were close to completing a move to Villa Park, but Newcastle confirm this report is incorrect and say no fees have been agreed with any club.”

It looked as though Villa were poised to make their second and third signings of the summer when they announced that a combined fee had been agreed.

Having already wrapped up a deal for Patrik Berger, who will join on a free transfer from Portsmouth in July, boss David O’Leary seemed to have acted swiftly in an effort to make further additions.

Ellis told his club’s website, www.avfc.co.uk: “I have spoken with Freddy Shepherd, the Newcastle chairman on several occasions in the last 48 hours and last night he accepted our cash offer for both players.”

However confusion is now blurring the picture, with Bellamy’s future once again uncertain.

The Welsh striker had a public fall-out with Graeme Souness in January and has been told he will never play for Newcastle again, but his form since joining Celtic on loan on deadline day has put him in the shop window.

The 25-year-old Bellamy has hit the goal trail in Scotland, with nine vital strikes in 13 appearances propelling Celtic closer to the Scottish Premier League title which they can clinch this weekend with victory at Motherwell.

But the prospects of the Welshman staying north of the border look doubtful, with Villa and several other Premiership clubs thought to be keen.

Despite his outburst against Newcastle boss Graeme Souness, when the manager accused Bellamy of feigning injury to avoid playing in midfield against Arsenal, the former Coventry and Norwich man does possess attributes which would make him attractive to O’Leary.

Most notably, he has been scoring goals of late, and Villa’s strikers have struggled to hit the net all season. Juan Pablo Angel finished above team-mates Darius Vassell and Carlton Cole in the goalscoring charts, despite netting just seven times in the Barclays Premiership.

It remains to be seen, whenever he leaves and to whichever club, whether Newcastle succeed in recouping the £6million they paid Coventry for Bellamy.

However, they will not lose out on Hughes, 25, should he exit.

Hughes was brought to Newcastle by former boss Kevin Keegan in 1995 and has emerged from the youth ranks to become a first-team fixture over several seasons.

The adaptable defender has made more than 250 appearances for Newcastle and won 40 caps for Northern Ireland.

The 2004-05 campaign was one of mixed fortunes for the defender who has been troubled by injuries and was told recently he required a hernia operation.

Ellis recently vowed to loosen the Villa Park purse-strings and back O’Leary in the transfer market, after a rash of injuries left the first team thin on numbers and experience for much of the past season.