• Wall Street Journal reports ongoing talks over £340m takeover• Owner Mike Ashley is seeking to sell
Premier League clubNewcastle United have declined to comment on a report in the Wall Street Journal (£) that Mike Ashley is in talks with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund over a potential £340m takeover.
It is claimed a deal could be “days or weeks” away, with delicate negotiations ongoing between Newcastle’s owner and representatives of the Gulf nation’s Public Investment Fund – a body regarded as the key investment tool of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.