Saudi Arabia PIF were offered stake in Manchester United before Newcastle takeover

It is believed that Saudi Arabia’s PIF were offered a stake in Manchester United before buying Newcastle.

There was a lot of rumours about a Saudi-backed takeover at the time, but they managed to complete a deal to purchase Newcastle from Mike Ashley in October 2021, despite issues with the Premier League’s Owners and Directors Test.

While United fans are desperate to get rid of the Glazers, I never want to see my club fall victim to sportswashing, and that is what would have happened if Saudi Arabia’s PIF got their bloody hands on our club.

Reports in 2019 suggested Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was interested in a takeover at Manchester United, as per The Mirror.

As the Newcastle takeover anniversary nears, PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan has done an interview during which he admits they had the chance to buy a stake in another Premier League club.

“For example, in the UK there was a team that approached us on the basis that we take 30% of the ownership, and we don’t interfere at all in terms of managing the club, for £700million,” Al-Rumanyyan said, as quoted by The Athletic.

“Then we bought Newcastle, who offered us 100 per cent of the ownership.”

The Athletic add that the club in question is believed to be Manchester United.

He added: “Then we bought Newcastle, who offered us 100 per cent of the ownership. But Amanda Staveley and her husband who got us the opportunity told us, ‘We like it so much, we would like to be with you’. That was perfect.

“Then came the Reuben family who are one of the biggest property investors, saying that, ‘We would like to come with you’, and these are one of the biggest investors in Newcastle. I said, ‘Perfect! Tell them to come’. So now they (Amanda, her husband and Reubens) have a skin in the game.

“We bought the whole team for £350m, instead of only having 30 per cent in another team for £700m.”