MIKE ASHLEY remains confident he will have completed the sale of Newcastle United to Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabia-backed consortium before the start of next season, despite this week’s revelations of Government-level involvement having raised further questions over the deal.

Staveley’s group, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), shelved their attempts to purchase the Magpies in late July after the Premier League indicated they regarded the PIF as indistinguishable from the Saudi regime.

That assessment was challenged by both Newcastle and Staveley’s takeover team, and an independent arbitration hearing is due to begin shortly that will assess the legality of the Premier League’s position.

In the meantime, Ashley has brushed off suggestions of an alternative bid from former Roma owner James Pallotta, with senior sources insisting that the Sports Direct boss still regards his agreement with Staveley’s consortium as a binding deal.

If the arbitration process goes Newcastle’s way, and assuming that the Magpies successfully retain their Premier League status this season, Ashley will push for a swift transfer of power that would see Staveley’s group installed as the club’s new owners before the start of next season.

The arbitration hearing will be key, and the Newcastle camp are confident this week’s allegations of state interference will not adversely affect their case.

Documents have come to light that show Saudi Arabia’s leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sent a message to Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, urging him to intervene in the takeover process and instruct the Premier League to “correct” its decision to block the deal.

On June 27 last year, Bin Salman warned that UK-Saudi relations would be damaged if the deal was blocked, stating: “We expect the Premier League to reconsider and correct its wrong conclusion.”

The Prime Minister asked one of his senior aides, Lord Eddie Lister, to look into the matter, but the Premier League stood by its initial assessment that dealing with the PIF was essentially the same as dealing with the Saudi regime.

It could be argued that Bin Salman’s willingness to get involved validates their position, but Newcastle’s stance remains that sufficient evidence has been provided to illustrate that the two bodies are separate.

In a further development, Ashley’s Sports Direct group has informed employees it will no longer be running the ‘club store’ outlet at St James’, with new kit suppliers, Castore, taking over.