The global lockdown that has been enforced because of coronavirus has seen football come to a total halt.
Fans have been left miserable but it has been a period of quiet excitement for Newcastle United faithful as the Mike Ashley era finally seems to be coming to an end.
News just emerged a few weeks ago that a Saudi-backed consortium was looking to buy Newcastle United from Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley.
The consortium consisting of Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF, led by Governor Yasser al Rumayyan, Amanda Staveley, David and Simon Reuben had seemingly agreed a £300 million fee with Ashley.
However, there was no confirmation.
In contrast, the last few hours have seen hints from the Saudi side that the takeover is about to take place.
The Saudi minister of Sport, Abdulaziz bin Turki al Saud, began following the Magpies on Twitter.
It was a move that hinted at the deal being closer to completion.
However, the deal now seems to be complete, if you believe Dawri Plus reporter, Ammar Bahakim.
Done #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/81pC80SQM1
— عمار باحكيم (@ammarbahakim) April 25, 2020
Bahakim, who has a 159k followers on his Twitter account, tweeted a photo of a poster of Saudi king Mohammed bin Salman being unfurled at St. James’ Park.
The photo was accompanied by a caption “Done”.
To be absolutely certain, a Newcastle fan asked whether it was 100 percent complete and the reply was affirmative.
👍
— عمار باحكيم (@ammarbahakim) April 26, 2020
