Newcastle United are set to have new owners very soon, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund edging closer to completing a £300 million takeover.
PCP Capital Partners owner and finance broker Amanda Staveley is leading the negotiations, and £17 million has already been deposited as PIF are confident that the deal will go through.
The £283 million balance will be paid once the documents have been signed off, and owner Mike Ashley was said to be hours away from confirming the sale last week, only for the Saudis to insist on a delay as their business custom is to wait until full completion before making an announcement.
Newcastle have been tipped to make a major squad overhaul post takeover, and they have already been linked with making moves for some of the biggest stars in the game.
Barcelona trio Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Arturo Vidal are said to be on the radar of the would-be owners, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani and Chelsea’s Willian also linked.
However, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has poured cold water on what has been a very popular claim so far, and he reckons it would take a while before Newcastle can start competing for the signatures of the biggest players.
“There are many doubts about the ownership, there are doubts about the money that is going to be available. If there is money available, Newcastle will be at the forefront of many people’s thoughts because I think the value of the players is going to diminish and not everybody is going to have money available to buy players,” Balague said on his official YouTube channel.
“The problem, of course, is that they will have to get the finances right, and try to maximize the potential of financial fair play.
“That means it’ll require a while before Newcastle can compete for the biggest players, if they ever, if they ever will do that.”
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