Let's just say it's not only Geordies who are eagerly awaiting an announcement. Architects across the globe also want to know whether Newcastle United are staying or going. Just ask Dan Meis, the American who designed Everton's new ground; the Staples Center; the Saitama Super Arena; and a host of other sports venues.
"There are a handful of clubs that are going to be chasing new stadiums in the near future, but St James' Park is one that everyone is excited about because you have an incredible fanbase and a very ambitious ownership, and it's showing on the pitch," he told ChronicleLive. "There's a lot of momentum so the opportunity to do something really amazing is great - regardless of their decision to move or renovate.
"It's a good time to be thinking about this because you have a couple of new buildings and, in some ways, Everton's is very different to Tottenham's or the proposal for Manchester United so it gives clubs like Newcastle the opportunity to think, 'Who do we want to be? Where do we fit within that?'"
Meis knows the process well, of course, having spent years working on Everton's new 52,888-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. The architect's vision was born out of a desire to 'create a new home for a really historic, passionate fanbase' with a ground that 'grew out of the dock and drew on the historic fabric of Liverpool'.
Although Everton intend to sweat the asset in a PSR world and drive revenues, the £760m stadium has been designed with supporters very much in mind - not least the imposing South Stand, which can accommodate 14,000 fans. Newcastle, similarly, want a scheme which will not only deliver strong revenue growth but, also, a first-class fan experience.
Hence why the club have gone to such great lengths to weigh up the merits of either transforming St James' or building a new ground not too far away. It is why those at the top have been at pains to repeatedly stress this is a 'once in a lifetime' decision they don't want to rush and later regret.
Meis, who has visited St James' on a couple of occasions, described the stadium as an 'interesting puzzle'. On one hand, it would be a 'big deal' to leave a historic ground behind but, on the other, Meis suggested it is 'very typical that at some point you outgrow the site'.
"One of the challenges if they stay where they are is there are only so many things you can do," he explained. "It really is a challenging site. They can certainly improve it but it's really hard to do something incredibly different because of the limitations and the historic aspects of the site. But it's a smart, ambitious ownership and it will be spectacular - no matter what direction they go."
Meis does not use the word 'spectacular' lightly and the Colorado native felt 'some of the history, tradition and magic' of the most historic grounds was lost in the first wave of the new stadiums in the UK. These arenas, in Meis' eyes, were 'big, modern and new' and 'trying to be a little bit like the NFL'.
Meis believes there is a sweet spot which brings 'a lot of those historic aspects but in a modern, contemporary building'. The architect has such a vision for St James', which he is understandably keeping under wraps, but hopes the fans get something truly unique - regardless of who ultimately lands the pitch.
"I would love to share it," he smiled. "In some ways, I feel I may be a little bit different to some of the architects that I compete with. For me, it's very personal. I can't do five buildings at a time because it really takes a lot of immersion and passion.
"Everton responded to that. I came over with my team, we rented a house in London and built models and sketches on the ground here. We made a commitment that this was going to be the project we were going to give our full attention to.
"I think that made a big difference to Everton and, hopefully, it would make a difference to any club in it not just being another project. You're not just another club.
"Whoever they end up working with, hopefully, it is with the realisation that great architecture really comes out of that collaboration between the architects, the builders and the ownership. It can't just be another new building or a new shiny object."
It has to be so much more than that, of course, and the landscape has certainly changed in recent years. Manchester United were the only club to boast a bigger ground in the Premier League when Newcastle last expanded St James'. However, in the years since, Spurs, West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have all leapfrogged Newcastle in terms of capacity while Everton will soon knock the Magpies into eighth place courtesy of a few hundred more seats.
No wonder Meis admitted that 'you can't stand still if you want to remain competitive'. As far as the architect is concerned, Newcastle have 'a lot of promise so the idea that the stadium keeps up with that is going to be important for everyone'.
"It's a very qualified and smart bunch of people that are thinking about it," he added. "It's not an easy decision in any case and because they have taken the temperature of the fans and they understand that it isn't something that you do lightly, the one thing I'm hopeful of is if they do decide to move, there's an opportunity to open up the design aspect of it so fans can weigh in, whether it's a design competition or study.
"What happened with Everton was there were several architects working on it originally when I first got involved and we were all giving ideas. It gave the club an opportunity to see different perspectives and get a feel for who really understood who the club were.
"It doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes there's a lot of pressure to meet deadlines or to try and get the stadium open by a certain date so it feels like the only way to do that is to barrel ahead, but they have been very thoughtful to this point."
