Newcastle could have the likes of Manchester City “looking over their shoulders” if a Saudi Arabian consortium headed by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman complete a £300 million ($367m) takeover of the club, says Shay Given.
A change of ownership at St James’ Park is said to be in the pipeline, with the much-maligned Mike Ashley ready to walk away after 13 years at the helm.
Should the Magpies welcome fresh faces on board, then it could be that a sizeable transfer kitty is made available in the next market.
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The likes of City and Chelsea have benefited from such takeovers in the past, with Sheikh Mansour and Roman Abramovich building successful dynasties at the Etihad Stadium and Stamford Bridge respectively.