£300m Newcastle United takeover could take HUGE step forward as Saudi's bid to crack down on piracy

There’s an impatience on Tyneside for a decision on the takeover from the Premier League, which has had to consider objections from Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Sports and Amnesty International.

Newcastle fans had hoped to have new owners prior to the Premier League season restarting, with Steve Bruce’s side hosting Sheffield United at St James’s Park this afternoon (KO 2pm – follow our LIVE blog here).

There is now fresh hope of a breakthrough soon after the official Twitter account of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property tweeted: “Within the framework of the Kingdom's efforts to reduce violations of rights. We aim to block 231 websites that violate intellectual property regimes, with a view to shutting them down.