British media reported today, Tuesday, that "Newcastle United, competing in the English Premier League, will be allowed to loan players from clubs owned by its Saudi owners during the upcoming winter transfer window in January." This follows the failure of a vote to impose a temporary ban on player loans between clubs with shared ownership due to insufficient support from Premier League clubs. The BBC stated that "13 Premier League clubs voted in favor of the temporary ban on player loans between clubs under the same ownership during a stakeholders meeting today, which is one vote short of the required number to impose the ban."
This means that Newcastle, which was acquired by a group led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund in October 2021, will be allowed to loan players from other clubs also owned by the fund. The Public Investment Fund holds majority stakes in the so-called "Big Four" clubs in the Saudi Professional League: Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, and Al-Hilal. These four clubs signed players including Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, Ruben Neves, and Neymar during the last summer transfer window.
