Newcastle United, despite their owner’s potential conflict of interest, have been given the green light to raid the Saudi Pro League in search of a replacement midfielder for the suspended Sandro Tonali.
That’s according to a recent report from Football Insider, who claims the Magpies could turn their attention to the Middle East’s lucrative league as a way to temporarily replace Tonali, who was recently handed a 10-month suspension after being found guilty of illegal betting activity.
Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves has already been heavily linked with a January move to St. James’ Park, and although the Portuguese playmaker remains on the Toon’s shortlist, other midfielders could emerge as potential transfer targets.
The Saudi Arabian Sovereign Wealth Fund publicly backs the country’s top flight and reaffirmed their commitment to the cause by taking ownership of four clubs prior to the 2023-24 campaign kicking off.
Consequently, Newcastle are expected to use their mutual ownership as a way to ‘explore the possibility’ of signing one of the Pro League’s biggest-named players.