Newcastle United’s owners PIF want the Magpies to become an elite club.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan has big ambitions on Tyneside, as PIF plan to make Newcastle United bigger than ever.
However, Newcastle United are not the Saudi investment fund’s only priority.
They have other voices and other ambitions, which means that sometimes projects can clash.
That could create an issue at St James’ Park this summer, as Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes attracts fresh transfer interest.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
PIF clubs target Bruno Guimaraes
During the summer of 2024, Newcastle fended off interest in Bruno Guimaraes from the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
Now, in 2025, there are clubs in Saudi Arabia aiming to strike a deal for the Magpies’ captain.
According to ESPN, Al Ittihad are interested in signing Bruno from Newcastle United.
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The report claims that Al Ittihad are willing to activate his £100million release clause, with Bruno’s agent Alexis Malavolta holding talks with the club’s board out in Saudi Arabia.
Malavolta has also spoken to Al Hilal, another club that are interested in Bruno. However, ESPN add that Al Hilal see Guimaraes as backup option to top target Bruno Fernandes.
Newcastle United have only sold one player to PIF
Talk of interest from Al Ittihad and Al Hilal is massively intriguing, as they are both owned by PIF just like Newcastle United.
Since PIF became the Newcastle United owners, only one player has moved from St James’ Park to a Saudi Arabian club.
That was Allan Saint-Maximin in 2023.
Newcastle sold Saint-Maximin to Al Ahli for £23million, with the club cashing in on the Frenchman in order to raise funds.
His departure allowed Tino Livramento and Harvey Barnes to arrive. Eddie Howe did not want to sell Saint-Maximin, but it was a deal that Newcastle had to do for financial reasons.
However, this is different. These are PIF clubs aiming to strike a deal for the Newcastle United captain and a pivotal player on Tyneside.
If a deal does materialise, PIF could face quite the backlash from Toon supporters.