TOON DEAL’S IN TURMOIL

October 2017: Mike Ashley says Newcastle is for sale for a third time

March 2019: Amanda Staveley hints she can revive a deal to buy the club with sovereign wealth fund backing

January 2020: Rumours begin to circulate that the Saudis could be behind a £340million bid. The vast majority of Newcastle fans express their support for the takeover via the supporters trust

Amnesty International lead protests, pointing to human rights abuses in Saudi.

The fiancee of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi operatives in their consulate, says the Premier League would be “tarnished” if it decided to allow the takeover. June 2020: A World Trade Organization report is due next week ruling on Saudi sports piracy.

ownership checks because the league itself has been pursuing the Saudis for two years for illegally broadcasting games.

The takeover was expected to be greenlighted within three weeks, amid claims from the buyers that there were “no red flags.”

But the Premier League’s legal team, which has to approve the deal, has waged a fierce battle against the Saudis for what it says is piracy on an “unprecedented scale.”

One broadcaster, bein Sports, estimate it has cost them up to one billion US dollars (£785m) in lost subscriptions, lost advertising revenue, legal fees and technical reports. Saudi law firms have refused to take up the Premier League’s case and their courts have been closed to the complaints.

A source said: “The country that is trying to buy a Premier League club has stolen from the very organisation it now needs approval from.”