Richard Masters responds to Saint-Maximin complaints from Newcastle’s Premier League rivals

Premier League CEO Richard Masters has responded to concerns over the fee Newcastle United will receive for Allan Saint-Maximin from Saudi side Al-Ahli.

The Athletic revealed that a number of Premier League clubs have complained about the price tag agreed between Al-Ahli and Newcastle; two clubs who have the Saudi PIF as majority owners.

Masters insists the whole situation is hypothetical as the deal is yet to go through, but insists that very strict rules are in place to ensure fair market value across inter-company dealings, citing the new sponsorship or player transfer ruling introduced in 2021.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, here’s what the Premier League chief has had to say:

“That [Saint-Maximin sale] hasn’t happened yet — so it’s hypothetical. What I can tell you is we have very strong and clear transaction rules, which dictate that anything that is inter-company is expressed at fair market value.

“So very clear rules are in place — whether it be sponsorship or a player transfer. These are new rules that were brought in in 2021 and we believe they are doing their job.”