American Buyer Ready to Step in If Saudi Takeover of Newcastle Collapses

American media tycoon Henry Mauriss is ready to step in and buy Newcastle United if the Saudi-backed takeover bid collapses, according to a report.

The proposed £300m deal from a consortium, which includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as its majority stakeholder, has been thrown in doubt recently following a ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Following an investigation, the WTO ruled that the Saudis were involved in a pirate TV and streaming service which broadcasted Premier League games illegally.

The Saudis are hoping to curry favour with the Premier League by bidding on the rights to broadcast top flight football in the Middle East and North Africa. Qatari owned BeIN Sports' deal expires in 2022, though it is not certain that this will be enough to prevent the takeover from collapsing.

With the Saudi bid faltering, the Mirror have reported that Mauriss is ready reignite his interest in purchasing the Magpies. The California-born media and credit card mogul previously approached Mike Ashley regarding a potential takeover prior to broker Amanda Staveley tabling her group's bid.

Sources close to Mauriss suggest that he is monitoring the situation closely, though he will not comment while the Saudis remain in talks.

Despite no takeover being completed as of yet, Newcastle have still been linked with some very high profile names over the past month.

On a managerial front, Mauricio Pochettino, Rafa Benitez and André Villas-Boas - who recently confirmed he would be remaining at Marseille - have all been touted as potential Steve Bruce replacments.

A long list of players have also been linked with moves to St James Park, with Philippe Coutinho, Gareth Bale and more realistically, John Stones and Ross Barkley among those mentioned.