Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is eagerly awaiting developments amid reports Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene in the proposed sale of the club. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, of which Bin Salman is the chairman, is the majority partner in a consortium also involving Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners and the Reuben Brothers, which agreed a takeover deal with Ashley in April last year. “Reports that Mohammed Bin Salman made threats about possible damage to UK-Saudi relations if the deal didn’t go ahead only illustrates that this was always more than just a commercial transaction within the football world. “We expect the English Premier League to reconsider and correct its wrong conclusion,” the prince is said to have warned the Prime Minister. We wanted (the Premier League) to be straightforward and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, don’t leave (the Saudis) dangling.”The Premier League has declined to comment on the Mail and Evening Chronicle reports.

Source: Express April 15, 2021 12:00 UTC