Update on £300m Saudi takeover arrives as 3 sources reveal good news amid BeIN Sports threat
Last night, it's fair to say the anxiety levels of Newcastle United fans went through the roof after BeIN Sports sent a big threat to the Premier League regarding the Saudis potential £300m arrival.
The deal is currently with the Premier League, with a deal looking all set to go through providing they pass their owners and directors test.
That said, serious last-ditch complaints lodged by Amnesty International and BeIN Sports have made some fear this deal isn't quite as 'imminent' anymore, with the latter revealing how the Saudi government are yet to deal with unresolved piracy issues that have cost them millions.
Thankfully, TWO promising updates have emerged today regarding the likelihood of a takeover going through in light of both objections.
Firstly, it's emerged that the UK Government will NOT be intervening to stop any Saudi takeover, with this coming from Britain's Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden today (and also being backed up by the Telegraph's chief writer Jason Burt)
This then poses the question, if the country's own government don't see any reason to intervene and seem happy for it to go ahead, are the Premier League really going to get in the way?
It all comes down to the owners and directors test, which assesses the credibility of the individuals behind the Saudi-backed takeover, but this is where the SECOND bit of promising news comes in.
Here's what the New York Times' Tariq Panja has said, with him saying the deal will NOT be prevented by the Premier League:
So, if the Government aren't going to stop it and there's a strong belief the Premier League won't (or that the would-be owners won't fail the PL director and owners test), it feels like we may not have a great deal to worry about after all.
In addition, the Independent have also released a report this afternoon stating the takeover is expected to be completed and 'formally announced' by the 1st of May.
Who knows how this will pan out, but these initial responses to BeIN Sports' big complaint seem highly promising, with the Premier League CEO's letter back to Amnesty international also being described as a "polite 'go away'".
