Newcastle United’s prospective Saudi-backed owners are still confident that the takeover will be completed, per George Caulkin of The Athletic.

The club have been in limbo for some time now, since a consortium fronted by Amanda Staveley agreed a £300m deal with Mike Ashley to purchase the club.

They have not yet received ratification from the Premier League, however, and delays continue to hamper their offer.

Nevertheless, Caulkin insists that their confidence has not wavered and says that they expect the deal to be done.

Speaking in an Athletic Q&A, he said: “From our perspective, the message from the buying side has been consistent: confidence that the deal will be passed by the Premier League.

“That confidence has not been pie-in-the-sky, la la la la, finger-in-the-ears optimism, but based on feedback they have received from the Premier League before and during what has become a very wearing process (don’t forget that it has been a two-way street; not just awaiting a decision, but being asked and answering questions).

“That mood may have influenced all those reports from other publications about the deal being green-lit or on the verge of being announced but they were also inaccurate in the strictest sense of the word, which is why we did not repeat them here. There was not — and still hasn’t been — an official decision.

“Does that confidence remain?

“Yes, because the prospective buyers believe they have done everything asked of them by the Premier League but the atmosphere has also been tainted by the length of time this has taken.”

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

This makes complete sense.

Newcastle’s takeover has been dragging for months but there is no point in throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Patience will surely prevail and it is merely a waiting game to see if the league will ratify the deal.

The contract, Caulkin says, is signed and everything is ready to go; they just need a green light.

The only thing they can do is sit, hope and wait; after all, those who wait are those who have good things come their way.