This is when Mike Ashley hopes to have Newcastle United takeover completed - report

The Magpies owner is currently involved in a legal war with the Premier League (EPL) as he battles for the £300million+ deal, involving PCP Partners, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the Reuben brothers, to be approved.

Ashley has two running legal cases against the EPL – arbitration, which is set to take place in July, and anti-competition law, otherwise known as the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

The EPL have until 5pm next Friday (June 11) to respond to Newcastle’s CAT allegations.

It has been well over a year since Ashley first agreed to sell the club to the consortium before the EPL refused to pass it through its owners’ and directors’ test.

Following months of delays, PIF walked away from the deal in July last year, though have vowed to come back to the table if given assurances of being awarded the green light.

And having been embroiled in legal challenges for the previous eight months, The Sun claims Ashley’s confidence is growing so much that he has told Staveley and co to be prepared to finalise the takeover in a month.

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