There’s a report in the Sun today that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has agreed to sell the club for £350M to Dubai-based billionaire Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan.
The report is that contracts have been signed and submitted to the Premier League from both Ashley and the Sheikh.
Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan
Sheikh Khaled is a cousin of Manchester City’s Arab owner Sheikh Mansour and he is also a senior member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.
One thing Ashley said he needed any buyer to supply is money to build the squad and build the infrastructure at Newcastle United – and if this report is true, and we think it is, it looks like we have that.
He is a member of the Dhabi royal family and last year failed in a £2B takeover bid of Liverpool, so he chose the much cheaper alternative of Newcastle United.
A very good choice.
Remember that Liverpool was bought for only £300M back in late 2011 by Fenway Sports Group.
The first job the Sheikh has is to tie down Rafa Benitez to a long term deal improved contract to keep him at Newcastle.
We don’t think that will take long, with the Sheikh asking Rafa what he needs to make Newcastle super successful – and then saying OK.
And the potential new owner is reported ready to provide the funds necessary to build a squad that is limited in numbers and skill but has done really well under the world-class management of Rafa,
This is how we had thought the club would be sold you wake one morning and it’s almost done with contracts already submitted to the Premier League so it will go through quickly.
This also explains some of the delays in the negotiations between Ashley and Rafa Benitez over the last two weeks.
This is excellent news for Newcastle fans and for Rafa Benitez and his team too.
This is an extract from the Sun report about Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan:
Shaikh Khaled, 61, is president of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation but has always had a keen interest in football and loves the Premier League.
He is founder of the Bin Zayed Group – a leading group of businesses with diverse interests in the local and international markets.
The Bin Zayed Group’s key activities comprise four business fields: construction and energy, trading and industry, real estate, technology and financial services.
We believe this is all true, so remember the date – it’s May 27, 2019, when this thing broke.
Comments welcome.
50 comments so far
beermonkey
May 27, 2019 at 7:15 AM
Comment #1First
jazzyp
May 27, 2019 at 7:15 AM
Comment #2The one thing I will be glad to see the back of is the tat Sports direct signs plastered all over the ground.
And if the rumours are true then would you still sign Rondon if we have a chance to sign better players??
Paully
May 27, 2019 at 7:19 AM
Comment #3Nah f**k Rondon i want Neymar
🙂
beermonkey
May 27, 2019 at 7:19 AM
Comment #4Jazzy
If Rafa stays I would still by him
Even with lots of cash I don’t see wholesale changes some proper quality coming in
hibbit
May 27, 2019 at 7:22 AM
Comment #5please please please be true 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Lovem or Hatem
May 27, 2019 at 7:22 AM
Comment #6Also, anyone seen this tweet from 3 days ago:
Big D
@WolfMan53023656
Amanda staveley books entire hotel du vin in Newcastle with Arab names filling the guest list. #takeover #nufc
jazzyp
May 27, 2019 at 7:24 AM
Comment #7Beer
Morning mate
If this rumour comes true and we can all look forward to having a club back that would have ambition, Then the next step is obvious change to the first team. Would baby steps be the best way or whole sale changes to be then accused of buying the league.
The family are worth as combined total of 150 billion so it is hard to imagine where this is going to take the club moving forward
DubaiMicky
May 27, 2019 at 7:24 AM
Comment #8Lovem, I’ve just tried to book 3 rooms at that hotel for tonight for 3 days.
Guess what, they’re still available, so isn’t full.
The next Mike Williamson
May 27, 2019 at 7:24 AM
Comment #9breaking news. here’s a scoop lads. it’s 100% true. i wasn’t going to post it as it didn’t seem relevant, but in light of recent rumours & cracking ITK info others have posted i thought i’d share it so don’t shoot the messenger. my girlfriend is a translator as well as other things and works with arabs trading in china. last month she was working with a ‘prince’ as she calls him from abu dhabi who was in neighbouring shenzen for a few weeks to make some deals with some big chinese factory owners. before anyone gets excited he is one of 2000 geniune ‘princes’ from the UAE and maybe not even rich enough to buy a player never mind a club, however he is related to the big cheeses. working closely with the prince she had a lot of time to talk to him, and… she didn’t ask him anything at all about football. absolutely true story, i swear on my life. I just thought i’d add that to the other brilliant ITK stories people posted over the last few days 😉
Ron Knee
May 27, 2019 at 7:24 AM
Comment #10Mark Douglas@MsiDouglas
My take on #nufc takeover talk. Dubai takeover talk looks serious – but we all wait for Mike Ashley now.
The next Mike Williamson
May 27, 2019 at 7:27 AM
Comment #11more breaking news, man from Dubai (possibly a shiek although this is not confirmed) has just tried to book 3 rooms in the Hotel du Vin.
Binney
May 27, 2019 at 7:27 AM
Comment #12I feel like I’m going to faint
hibbit
May 27, 2019 at 7:28 AM
Comment #13Ron
the twat could still throw a spanner in the works
beermonkey
May 27, 2019 at 7:28 AM
Comment #14Jazzy
Morning
We know they can’t come in a pump in 500mill
They need to set up there dodgy advertising first to get the cash flowing
We are so far behind a proper plan would be a better way to with baby steps
Man City have taken a while to get to the state of domination
And have had some proper mercenaries
Charlie in the Gallowgate
May 27, 2019 at 7:29 AM
Comment #15Maybe if true that’s why there has been no announcement on a Rafa deal
Also if true my source was right that the club would be sold in May – wrote on here in March when I was told Ashley was running down the club shop with no back orders and the company that ran the Toons Opta stars contract was being terminated
After that still not sure
Charlie in the Gallowgate
May 27, 2019 at 7:29 AM
Comment #16…sure it will happen
Lovem or Hatem
May 27, 2019 at 7:30 AM
Comment #17@dubai
Yeah but that tweet maybe a partial truth i.e the sheikh is staying there but the hotel is not full
Any updates from you and your contacts?
Bambams
May 27, 2019 at 7:30 AM
Comment #18I think it’s done.
The delay for Rafa and his contract, the little snippets we got months ago, the short two hour meeting on that Thursday was obviously just Ash updating Rafa, the fact Rafa has turned down approaches from other big clubs…..
£350 million and they are wanting to spend big !
Just make sure you take CharnLIE with you Ash
BH May 29th 2019 NEWCASTLE UNITED are FREE
Ron Knee
May 27, 2019 at 7:31 AM
Comment #19Exactly, hibbit!
DubaiMicky
May 27, 2019 at 7:32 AM
Comment #20OK, so just got a WhatsApp back from one of the guys (from BinZayed Group) I met last year, I asked him if the rumours are true, his reply “Haha watch this space”.
Read into that what you will, I’ve only met the guy once and we’ve exchanged a couple of emails and a few WhatsApps in the last 8 months, so he’s not a mate.
Paully
May 27, 2019 at 7:32 AM
Comment #21Ground extension anyone?
JDdubai
May 27, 2019 at 7:32 AM
Comment #22Until I see the yellow ticker on sky sports news, nothing is for certain..
toonbrother
May 27, 2019 at 7:32 AM
Comment #23champions league here we come!
woooo
Lovem or Hatem
May 27, 2019 at 7:33 AM
Comment #24If this takeover happens then the best transfer approach would be similar to wolves.
beermonkey
May 27, 2019 at 7:34 AM
Comment #25Lovem
What buy the Portuguese national team
geordiemark
May 27, 2019 at 7:35 AM
Comment #26DubaiMicky
i do know one thing though if this is more bullshit spin from ashleys pr bullshit brigade then he wont be upset when the fans kick off big style like he hasnt seen before because we can only take so much crap, i hope your contact is right but well theres always a but with ashley isnt there
hibbit
May 27, 2019 at 7:37 AM
Comment #27if this is true tickets are going to be at a premium
Bambams
May 27, 2019 at 7:39 AM
Comment #28Can you imagine how the Mackems are feeling right now if they have read this !!!
DubaiMicky
May 27, 2019 at 7:41 AM
Comment #29geordiemark, I agree, it’ll have been going on a while though, and it’s been kept very quiet, I’d suggest someone from the FA has leaked it, not from either side of the signatories.
Lovem or Hatem
May 27, 2019 at 7:42 AM
Comment #30@ beer
No. Some astute but relatively expensive signings like thiago maia, wesley moares.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
May 27, 2019 at 7:42 AM
Comment #31Man City
Did not realise that Man City have NOT got one player in the highest ten transfer fees paid by Premiership teams
geordiemark
May 27, 2019 at 7:42 AM
Comment #32Bambams
i reckon scumberland are in one hell of a mess money wise, dont know if there parachute payments ended but if they have it will cause a lot of trouble for them 🙂
Lindisfarne
May 27, 2019 at 7:43 AM
Comment #33I will believe it when the SD advertising has gone. No wonder he pledged to begin paying for it.
geordiemark
May 27, 2019 at 7:44 AM
Comment #34DubaiMicky
lets hope so
beermonkey
May 27, 2019 at 7:44 AM
Comment #35Lovem
Yes that’s the way to go
I don’t see big changes
DubaiMicky
May 27, 2019 at 7:45 AM
Comment #36TalkSport are saying FA will block it due to duel ownership (his cousin owning Citeh).
I think that’s bollocks, they even have different surnames!
geordiemark
May 27, 2019 at 7:46 AM
Comment #37Lindisfarne
aye typical of him isnt it, free advertising for 12 years solid even when he didnt own shite direct fully
geordiemark
May 27, 2019 at 7:47 AM
Comment #38DubaiMicky
naa cant see it but if they do them lot are just as nasty as ashley is
Munster Mag
May 27, 2019 at 7:47 AM
Comment #39Please let this be true!!!!!
DubaiMicky
May 27, 2019 at 7:48 AM
Comment #40I’d love it, love it, or, as they say around here “‘Ahabaha , ‘uhubuha”