Chronicle journalist Andrew Musgrove has posted a key update on the personal wealth of Sheikh Khaled, the figure at the head of the reported £350million Newcastle takeover.
It had been reported by the Sun that Sheikh Khaled was confident of completing a takeover and that he was a relative of Man City owner Sheikh Mansour.
However, links with the Man City owner were being downplayed on Monday, with Sky journalist Pete Graves also stating that there had been no proof of funds yet.
That’s led to some consternation from Newcastle fans but Musgrove sought to reassure them.
His tweet read, “Confusion over Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan – especially over his wealth.
“I’ve been told that his takeover of Newcastle would be similar to that of Abdullah bin Musa’ad at Sheffield United in terms of wealth, and meeting the price tag of £350million shouldn’t be an issue.”
Confusion over Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan – especially over his wealth. I've been told that his takeover of #NUFC would be similar to that of Abdullah bin Musa'ad at Sheffield United in terms of wealth, and meeting the price tag of £350 million shouldn't be an issue.
— Andrew Musgrove (@ADMusgrove) May 28, 2019
That said, a number wasn't put on his personal value but the Sheffield United co-owner is thought to be worth $23b – so that would do nicely.
— Andrew Musgrove (@ADMusgrove) May 28, 2019
OPINION
This is a rolling story but no one really seems to know how close Sheikh Khaled actually is to Sheikh Mansour at Man City. There are talks of the links being downplayed but we wonder whether that’s got anything to do with the fact that two relatives owning separate Premier League clubs could actually be a conflict of interest. Musgrove has moved to reassure Newcastle fans over the money side of things but as of yet, to our knowledge, there’s been no proof of funds. And without proof of funds the bid isn’t going to go any further. This is where the Amanda Staveley and Peter Kenyon bids fell down. There have also been a lot of people coming out today urging caution and stating that the deal is far, far from done. It might be the case that this takeover is the one that goes through, but you have to worry about how the story is unfolding. There are too many inconsistencies and details being drip fed for our liking – it just doesn’t seem like this is how a proper takeover would happen. What happened to NDAs? We hope we’re wrong for the sake of Newcastle fans.