£300m Newcastle takeover ‘to be done in two weeks with Benitez return inevitable’

Rafa Benitez is expected to follow Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers to Newcastle, dailystar.co.uk.
The former Magpies manager has been tipped to be reappointed at St James’ Park, with Steve Bruce’s days now numbered.
Owner Mike Ashley is closer than ever before to selling the club, with Newcastle’s future now in the hands of the Premier League.
A takeover from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PiF) worth £300m has been agreed.
They will subsequently own 80 per cent of Newcastle and are now waiting on the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test.
No complications are anticipated, with the Premier League unlikely to stand in the way of the proposed takeover.
As a result, the final details surrounding the deal should be straightforward to sort from here, and The Independent suggest it will be fully completed by the end of April.
That means Newcastle fans should expect the takeover to be announced within the next two weeks.
It is said the deal will certainly be completed ‘by the time football resumes’.
Newcastle, like every other club in England, are in lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis.
Bruce and his team are waiting for the season’s suspension to be lifted so the remainder of the campaign can be played out.
Further talks between clubs tomorrow will go a long way to establishing what the immediate future holds for the Premier League.
Newcastle, though, are in a safe position as they sit 13th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone, with nine games left to play.
The long-term future looks promising as the takeover would represent a big cash injection for the Magpies moving forward.
Staveley is brokering the deal for the PiF, and wealthy Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman has a net worth of around £7billion.
Staveley is set to be the public face of the new board, however, PiF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan is expected to become chairman.
A new managing director and director of football should arrive at St James’ Park.
But crucially, an emotional return for previous fan-favourite Benitez is anticipated in the dugout.
Sky Sports claim it is ‘almost inevitable’ that the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss will be back in charge of Newcastle.
Staveley remains a big fan of Benitez and it is suggested the financial backing Newcastle would make the idea of a return too difficult for the Spaniard to turn down.
Benitez, 60, was in charge under Ashley between 2016 and 2019 and is currently manager of Dalian Pro in China.