Newcastle United owners in ‘talks’ over potential deal with Premier League rivals

Chelsea are in talks with Saudi state airline Riyadh Air over a potential shirt sponsorship deal. The Blues have started this season without a sponsor on the front of their Nike jerseys in the Premier League.

Riyadh Air is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the majority owner of Newcastle United. They already sponsor Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid and are now in discussions over a potential deal at Stamford Bridge as they look to expand their footballing portfolio, as detailed in a report by The Athletic.

Newcastle were taken over back in 2021 and have since enjoyed success under their new regime. The Toon Army reached the Champions League last term after finishing in the top four and are excited for their venture into Europe in this campaign.

Eddie Howe’s side also made the Carabao Cup final last season but were beaten at Wembley by top flight rivals Manchester United. They will be hoping for more of the same in the future and their owners have heavily invested in the squad over recent times as they look to make the club one of the greats.

They were beaten 3-1 away at Brighton and Hove Albion last time out and will be keen to bounce back after the international break. Howe said after that loss: “I am very realistic. Of course, there are concerns when you are not winning and have lost three in a row. I am not naive to that. You have factors and reasons, the fixture list was very tough for us.

“My job is to be calm and analyse where we can better then go to work on where we can get better.”

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF)’s ownership of Newcastle hasn’t come without controversy as they eye a possible shirt deal with Chelsea next. The London club have four points on the board so far.