Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made its stance clear on the possibility of selling Newcastle United to help fund a stunning takeover of Barcelona. The country’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is reportedly preparing an astronomical €10 billion bid to gain a financial grip on the Spanish giants.
Such a move would undoubtedly provide a massive boost to the La Liga champions’ finances. Barcelona have accumulated debts approaching £2 billion, a situation that limited them to spending less than £30 million in the 2025 summer transfer window. However, any approach would be complicated by the club’s ownership structure, which is largely made up of members who take great pride in the club's traditions.
There are still potential avenues for investment, though, and PIF has poured significant sums into various sports in recent years. It remains unclear whether any prospective investment would come directly from bin Salman himself or via PIF - of which he is chairman - but the latter scenario has already raised questions regarding Newcastle United’s ownership.
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PIF's Stance on Selling Newcastle United Revealed
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe applauds fans after the match vs Everton
PIF currently have an 85 per cent share of the Magpies, which has seen them strategically fund the patient Eddie Howe project, with their biggest achievement to date being Newcastle's first trophy in 70 years with a Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool earlier this year. But there doesn't seem to be a chance that the Saudi-led ownership will be looking to take their interests elsewhere.
GIVEMESPORT senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs revealed in December 2022 that there was 'no possibility' of PIF selling any of its shares in Newcastle. The following year, the now former chief executive Amanda Staveley, who owned six per cent of Newcastle alongside husband Mehrdad Ghoudoussi before leaving the club last year, told the Financial Times Football Summit, via Sky Sports: "We were very clear that we wanted a club with a passionate fanbase. We got that.
"We also wanted a club we could buy affordably because we [Staveley and Ghoudoussi] are also partners with PIF. We didn't go for the wonderful Tottenham and Chelsea and Liverpool.
I'm a massive Liverpool fan, and we tried to buy them, but we walked into a Newcastle game and said, 'Why spend X billion when you can spend £350 million?"
In September, Newcastle appointed David Hopkinson as their new CEO, with the 54-year-old telling BBC Sport earlier this month that he holds daily conversations with the PIF ownership. "This is a major, major global player," Hopkinson said of PIF.
"But I truly believe in my heart of hearts that we [Newcastle] are their favourite investment. We take up so much of their shared mind and heart, way more than would be warranted given the size of their investment."
Newcastle
In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle have the richest owners in the world by a margin of more than £450 billion. Needless to say, they wouldn't want to lose that affiliation, given their problems with their previous owner, Mike Ashley, whose lack of ambition saw the Magpies drift into the Championship at one point.
When PIF purchased 80% of the club in 2021, the expectation was that it would have a transformative impact, similar to Roman Abramovich at Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City. That has not been the case, with the Saudi-led consortium opting against splashing the cash unnecessarily.
Alexander Isak in action for Newcastle United
That said, they have still helped change the club’s trajectory, spending £730.85 million on 27 players since the takeover. The key difference is that rather than investing vast sums in one or two individuals, they have spread their expenditure to improve the squad’s overall baseline quality.