Newcastle are set for a £300 million Saudi takeover, which could be confirmed sometime this week, and may then launch efforts to sign some of the biggest stars in football during the summer.
The likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Philippe Coutinho have been touted and GoalBall understand the new board may replace manager Steve Bruce with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The expected takeover reminds one of Manchester City's change of regime back in 2008 when Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan acquired the club.
City sat ninth in the Premier League log at the time of purchase and went on to become one of the biggest forces in football.
However, Liverpool legend John Barnes doesn't believe The Magpies can attract world class players at the level of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe.
The former England international told BonusCodeBets: “Marquee signings for Newcastle are not marquee signings. Ronaldo is not going there, Messi is not going there, Mbappe is not going there.
“If they are sold, I still don’t think that the best players in the world are going to go to Newcastle. They’re not marquee signings, they’re players that Newcastle probably couldn’t have got before the Saudi Arabians take over.
“Everyone wants to try and get better players. Better players don’t mean marquee signings, it’s just better players than what they have.
SEE ALSO | Too Many ‘Dirty Deals’ Under Keshi! Taye Taiwo Reveals His Ouster From Super Eagles Too
“They’ll spend more money, attract more players in terms of the salaries they’re going to pay, that’s the same as any club.”
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
