THE planned £300m takeover of Newcastle United should take place next week.

Saudi-based website House Of Saud, which has close links to the ruling Royal family who intend to take over at St James’ Park and end the Mike Ashley era, claim the deal was due to have been announced on Monday this week.

However, they say a delay was ‘over a few small details’. It adds that the buyers are confident they’ll be given the go ahead to formally announce a takeover “within, at most, the next week.”

While Ashley has reportedly received a £17m advance on the sale, they also state that “terms including figures are agreed and the deposit has been completed.”

While the Premier League are still progressing through the owners and directors test, it is understood no barriers have been raised to prevent the takeover being completed, despite major concerns raised on two fronts: human rights issues and Premier League TV piracy issues in Saudi.

The report adds: “Speculation regarding a potential one-off embargo against the PIF and Saudi Arabia being imposed by the Premier League is untrue, and we can report that the Saudi Finance Minister has received no indication of any such issues or obstacles with regard to the takeover of Newcastle United.

“The new owners have a “dream list” of players, including some of Europe’s biggest names, which they see as crucial to bringing the club’s results and achievements to the highest level. The Newcastle United board are confident they will be able to announce the deal formally within, at most, the next week.”

Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is to hold an 80 per cent stake in the club, with  the remaining 20 per cent split equally between Amanda Staveley and the Reuben Brothers.

A report in leading French football magazine L’Equipe says the Magpies have been in talks with Mauricio Pochettino, with the former Tottenham coach lined up for the top job at St James’ Park.

It is also said they are “looking for a sporting director, a coach, an academy (training centre) director, they’re going to invest massively”.

With untold riches on the way to Tyneside, they have been linked with Barcelona’s former Liverpool attacker Phillipe Coutinho.

He left Liverpool for Barcelona for an fee of £105m, rising to £145m, in January 2018.

But he has struggled to make an impact at the Nou Camp and has been sent out to Bayern Munich, who won’t be making the move permanent.

Pochettino has previously coached Coutinho in 2012, Brazilian on loan at Espanyol from Inter Milan.

Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly has also been named as a probable target, with the centre-half’s €91 million asking price not a problem.