Newcastle United fans will have a summer decision on Mike Ashley's arbitration battle with the Premier League - according to reports in the Middle East.
The outcome of Ashley's legal tussle should be resolved during the closed season and in a piece in today's Arab News, sources close to the deal expect the Toon owner to enjoy a victory over top-flight chiefs later this year.
With Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers waiting in the wings for the result of Ashley's case there is hope that the consortium would then return to the table and pursue their £340million takeover.
The report in Arab News says: "People close to the takeover — which was formally withdrawn by PIF and its allies but which remains informally on the table and wanted more than ever by Newcastle owner Mike Ashley — say the English arbitration court judging the dispute will reach a decision in the summer.
"They also expect it to go Ashley’s way, and for Newcastle to be majority owned by the PIF before the start of next season."
As previously reported by the Chronicle, Ashley feels he had a done deal with the Middle East Group and sources close to him have always maintained the same thing.
Indeed, they say: "Newcastle fans have won the lottery but not seen the payout."
Newcastle strongly opposed the European Super League last week and Arab News feel that had the competition gone ahead it would have potentially dented the valuation of the Magpies.
They report: "It is hard to see how the £300 million valuation put on Newcastle by the PIF could have been maintained in that scenario.
"Now that the Super League is no more, the Newcastle lawyers can get back to their efforts to force the Premier League to come clean on why they dragged their feet for so long on the planned PIF takeover."
