Mischievous Jamie Reuben tweet fuels Newcastle United takeover speculation

Reuben had been set for a role at Newcastle United had a Saudi Arabia-backed takeover been approved in the summer.

That’s because Reuben’s father David, a property investor, was set to take a 10% stake in the club along with his brother Simon. The Reuben Brothers have significant investments in the city, and own Newcastle Racecourse.

Speaking in the summer, Reuben said: “We feel great compassion for the Newcastle United fans, with whom we shared a great commitment to help Newcastle United harness its tremendous potential, and build upon its impressive and historic legacy while working closely with the local community.”

The proposed deal collapsed over the Premier League’s failure to make a timely decision on approval. The Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, reluctantly walked away from the takeover.

However, Mike Ashley hopes the £300million takeover can be revived. United’s owner has instructed two leading QCs to challenge the Premier League’s “rejection” of the bid. There has been silence from all parties since this legal move.

And, as such, Reuben’s departure from QPR last week – he had been on the board at the Championship club – raised eyebrows on Tyneside.

“I'll always remain a supporter of QPR, and wish them the best for the future,” said Reuben.

QPR chairman Amit Bhatia fuelled the speculation over the weekend when he mischievously replied to a tweet from Reuben with a map with directions from Manchester – he was talking about Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford – to Newcastle.

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