Government make Newcastle United Saudi takeover call as Premier League respond to Amnesty International letter

Britain's Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden arrives for a meeting of the cabinet at 10 Downing Street on March 11, 2020 ahead of the announcement of Britain's first post-Brexit budget. - Britain unveils its first post-Brexit budget on on March 11, with all eyes on emergency government measures to ease the economic pain from the coronavirus outbreak.

The £300million deal to buyout Mike Ashley is sitting on the table of the Premier League with the owners and directors test well under way.

And with fan concerns growing, and critics voices coming to the fore, culture secretary Oliver Dowden told the commons’ culture committee today the government will not get involved in the process.

Meanwhile, the Premier League have responded to Amnesty International’s letter calling for more transparency in said tests on Newcastle’s potential new owners, with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia all set to own an 80% stake in the football club.

In a letter addressed to Amnesty’s Kate Allen, author of yesterday’s correspondence, Masters said: "I write in reply to your letter on April 20 concerning the putative takeover of Newcastle United FC by a company based in Saudi Arabia.

"You will appreciate that these matters are often subject to media speculations but at their heart are due processes required by UK law and by the Premier League's own rules, which can't be conducted in public and on which we can't comment.

"However, I can assure you that these processes go beyond those required by UK company Law and they are applied with equal rigour to every single prospective purchase of a Premier League club."

PIF with Reuben Brothers and Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners are close to a takeover which would end Mike Ashley’s 13 years as owner on Tyneside.