Saudi PIF could make stadium decision this week - Report

The PIF are in town to discuss all things Newcastle United at their annual high-level meetings, which will be held at Matfen Hall on Wednesday and Thursday.

As well as transfer strategy and the future of Eddie Howe, there's plenty to discuss with the club still searching for a new front-of-shirt sponsor for next season.

The new proposed training ground at the site near Newcastle Airport still needs a few more i's dotted, and t's crossed, while a decision still needs to be made on the future of St James' Park.

Last year, representatives from the PIF were shown a presentation of what a new stadium would look like if built on the Leazes Park land adjacent to the current stadium. However, that's about as far as it got, and no decision was actually made over whether to go ahead with it or not.

PIF will be asked to make a decision this week

This year, it's expected there will be more information and another presentation, and The Telegraph expects that the majority owners of Newcastle United will be pushed for an answer one way or another.

The report also suggests that a big part of what the PIF will need to discuss is how to fund the new development, if indeed there is to be one.

It's expected now that a new stadium will be the preferred option, and that the development will also encompass a huge regeneration of the surrounding area, which is what could swing things in their favour when applying for permission.

Fans have waited patiently for some positive news on the stadium plans after several false dawns. Now we have a CEO in place who has been in the job for a few months now and has his feet firmly under the table; there should be nothing stopping them from making the decision.

We're still a long way away from breaking ground

Obviously, just because the club gets the green light from the money men doesn't mean we'll see any movement on the development for a while; it just means the club can start engaging with the people it needs to in order to get the development approved.

That's likely going to take some time as there's already quite a strong objection to the idea of building upon Leazes Park, and the presence of bats, which are protected, adds another wrinkle.

We'd just be happy to know what the plan is at this point.