Remarkable claims this week that Newcastle United's owners could dispose of the Magpies to take the reins at Manchester United have already been debunked by allies of club chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The Red Devils' prospective takeover has once again revived talk that Saudi backers could purchase the Old Trafford outfit.
Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at SKEMA Business School, even went as far as to say the club could be bought by PIF, who would have to sell Newcastle to acquire another Premier League outfit. “ Newcastle United has always seemed like an opportunistic purchase and I think in essence the deal for Newcastle was sold heavily to them by intermediaries,” Chadwick told The Athletic.
“You had a willing seller and the amount of money they paid is small change. The opportunistic purchase of Newcastle, I think, was a consequence of being kicked back by Manchester United in the first place. There probably will be a certain amount of disbelief amongst Saudi officials having bought Newcastle when they really wanted to buy Manchester United.
