News is again stirring that the Magpies are reportedly on the brink of finally being sold with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the key person of interest.
The latest whisper is that the Saudi-Newcastle deal is very much on with owner Mike Ashley seemingly close to finally selling the club with a £300million takeover said to be close at hand. If the deal is truly sealed, this will make Newcastle one of the “major players” if the Saudi Arabian Royal Family completes a takeover of the club, according to boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who insists the Saudis will not be “messing around” when it comes to spending money.
Financier Amanda Staveley is alledgedly leading a bid which involves Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and the Reuben Brothers, rumoured to be for £300million, according to Daily Star Sport.
Said to be worth around £7billion, the Crown Prince has the backing of Saudi royalty and has the resources to turn Newcastle into major players in the Premier League and in Europe.
Speaking to The Shields Gazette, Hearn said: “They love their combat sports, but football? Another thing altogether.
“But they are major players in everything that they do. They are not around to mess around.
“And if they get involved in a football club, they are going to be spending money. They are not short of money, put it that way.
“It is one for a supporter. How do you feel about being taken over by a Saudi Arabian consortium? Well, we know that once we get over that, we are going to be major players.
“If they come in, they will make sure Newcastle are major players.”
Saudi Arabia has been the target of international criticism of late for its views on human rights but Hearn claims he has never had any problems in dealing with the nation.
“There are always concerns when you do international business but we got a lot of criticism,” he added.
“There was the human rights, etc, etc. All I can say was that our experience from start to finish was absolutely first class. Everything they promised us, they delivered.
“They do have a lot of money and that makes a big difference.
“They want the biggest of everything, the best of everything. This is why, when it comes to a football club, they won’t settle for anything but buying something and making it the biggest club.
“They [Newcastle] could do worse.”