(Reuters) – According to British media reports on Tuesday, Newcastle United will have the opportunity to borrow players from teams owned by their Saudi owners during the January transfer window after a vote on a temporary ban on related-party loans was not supported by enough Premier League clubs.
Thirteen Premier League clubs voted in favor of the temporary ban on loan moves between teams under the same ownership at a shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday, the BBC reported, falling one vote short of the number needed for it to be introduced.
The vote means that Newcastle, acquired by a group led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021, will be allowed to loan players from other clubs also owned by the fund.
PIF owns majority stakes in the Pro League’s “big four” clubs — Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, and Al-Hilal — who signed players including Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Ruben Neves, and Neymar in the last transfer window.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis)
