£47m player has now changed his mind about signing for Newcastle in January

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There now looks to be one key reason why Newcastle United are not going to sign Ruben Neves in January.

The Magpies have been heavily linked with loaning Neves from Al Hilal, as they look for a replacement for Sandro Tonali, who is suspended until August 2024.

Neves looked like a good fit, but a deal would be highly controversial because, like Newcastle, Al Hilal are also owned by PIF.

The rumours led to concern from Premier League clubs, who are set to vote in favour of a temporary ban on clubs loaning players from clubs with the same owner.

That would be bad news for Newcastle’s hopes of signing Neves, but there would still be the possibility of a permanent deal. He joined Al Hilal for £47million, and Newcastle would have to pay a similar fee to sign him in January.

While that did seem like a possibility, it is no longer the case.

Ruben Neves is not leaving Al Hilal in January

According to the Athletic, Ruben Neves will not be leaving Al Hilal in the January transfer window.

They claim that he will not be joining Newcastle, irrespective of the vote that is set to take place between the Premier League’s members today (November 21st).

The Athletic state that the 26-year-old is expected to remain in Saudi Arabia until at least the end of the season. They add that he is a key player there and is now settled in Riyadh.

Newcastle transfer target has done a u-turn

That is a change of pace from what was previously reported. It had been claimed that Neves had not settled in Saudi Arabia, and that was why he was keen on a return to the Premier League.

There were even suggestions that he fancied a move to Newcastle, but that will no longer be happening.

That is a shame, as he is a top class player who could fill the void left by Sandro Tonali. However, it is at least a positive that he is going absolutely nowhere, rather than just joining one of Newcastle’s Premier League rivals.

While Newcastle looked set to be banned from signing Neves, there will no ban for other clubs. Instead, they will not be able to sign him for the simple reason that he is not for sale.