Heading into Newcastle's clash with Manchester City this evening, it could have been the battle of the Middle-East.
With Sheikh Mansour the owner of City, Mohammed Bin Salman could have been in the stands alongside him to watch the Magpies.
However, three and a bit months on and we're still no closer to discovering whether MBS' consortium PIF, can buy the club.
Whatever you want to call it, this situation is a farce.
It's got to a point where it's extremely unhealthy and that's primarily because of Saudi Arabia's piracy.
Though, the blame cannot fall solely on the buyers. Neither the Premier League or Mike Ashley have issued thorough updates and it's rather harmful that not just the supporters, but also the playing and coaching staff have been left in the dark.
Will a resolution ever be found? According to Richard Masters, it will. However, I wouldn't hold your breath.
Masters' comments were now over a week ago and that so-called solution he said was near, hasn't arrived.
It's hardly a surprise given all of the setbacks and red flags that have been waved over the last few months.
For the takeover to go through, Saudi must adhere to a few things. Firstly, it was revealed that a TV deal would need to be struck with the Premier League, but the Athletic's Matt Slater has provided the latest on what now needs to happen.
Speaking on the latest episode of Pod on the Tyne, he stated:
“Has Saudi Arabia dealt with the Premier League in good faith? Possibly not. These are the things that have held this up [piracy in Saudi Arabia]. Can Saudi fix this? Of course, they can fix this.
“That would require though, them kind of admitting that they had been wrong in their dealings with this Qatari company [beIN Sports] and that I think is something the Saudis are going to have to square themselves and get over. Those are the sort of concrete measures that we haven’t seen yet. They just need to change their attitude to beIN and follow international IP rules.”
GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...
For Saudi to admit they've been in the wrong is easier said than done.
However, if PIF wants to buy Newcastle after all this time, they must budge on their stance and come to an agreement with the top-flight.
This whole saga has become tiresome. It has become tedious but more than anything, it's become about the money.
If some sort of settlement can be reached, it would suit all parties. MPs from both Britain and Saudi have grown frustrated with things so it's time proceedings were finally ironed out.
As we approach the middle of the summer months, Newcastle need to work out where they stand. Steve Bruce needs to understand what's going on and so do his players.
PIF's potential takeover cannot afford to be dragged on any longer than it already has.