Newcastle United will soon find out if the Premier League will allow them to sign Ruben Neves on loan in January, but that is not their only problem.
The Magpies are looking into a possible loan deal for Ruben Neves, with Eddie Howe aiming to replace Sandro Tonali amid his ban for betting.
Neves initially looked like an easy player to obtain, as he currently represents Al Hilal, who are owned by PIF. The connection between the ownership looked like it would allow the Magpies to facilitate a deal, but that is not proving to be the case.
Amid talk of Newcastle signing Neves on loan, Premier League clubs are set to vote on Tuesday on a temporary ban on clubs loaning players from clubs with the same owner. If the ban is put in place, Newcastle will have to sign Neves permanently if they really want him at St James’ Park.
That will be difficult given the Magpies’ financial fair play concerns, and now a new update from Ben Jacobs has shared another issue that Newcastle might have in their pursuit of the Portugal international.
Another issue for Newcastle and Ruben Neves
Jacobs has spoke to Give Me Sport about Newcastle’s interest in Neves, and explained why the PIF representatives at Al Hilal might view things differently to the PIF representatives at Newcastle.
“But they’re different people within PIF, and the ones working 24/7 at Al Hilal might make things more difficult for Newcastle than people presume because they don’t want to lose Neves,” he said.
“The wider Saudi Pro League dealmakers don’t either because they fear that this sets a precedent that says anyone can come to Saudi Arabia and then leave Saudi Arabia if they get a better option a few months later.”
Al Hilal will want to keep Neves
As Jacobs explains, a deal to sign Neves is not going to be as straightforward as PIF just sending a player from one club to another.
Even if there is no Premier League restrictions, Al Hilal will not want to lose a player they have only just signed.
And it would also reflect poorly on the Saudi Pro League, where so many talented players moved to in the summer. They want to grow and strengthen their league to become one of the best in the world, but that is never going to happen if players are allowed to just pack it in after a few months.
For Newcastle and Al Hilal, their money might come from the same place, but their owners have different ideas and agendas. And that is why a transfer for Neves is not going to be straightforward, unless the Magpies propose a deal that is financially acceptable.
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