Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, PCP Capital Partners owner Amanda Staveley and the Reuben Brothers have withdrawn from the process to buy Newcastle United.

BREAKING: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers have withdrawn from the process to buy Newcastle United.

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 30, 2020

The attempt to buy the St. James’ Park outfit in a £300 million deal has taken them over 16 weeks, with passing the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test proving herculean.

Saudi’s links with piracy complicated things, with the World Trade Organization ruling that the country was behind a pirate satellite TV beoutQ – who illegally streamed contents, including live Premier League games, that rightfully belong to the top-flight’s official broadcast partner beIN Sports – and PIF ran out of patience in the end.

The Reuben Brothers via Jamie Reuben – son of David – and Staveley have reacted thus as their Newcastle takeover fall through:

Statement pt1 – We feel great compassion for the Newcastle United fans with whom we shared a great commitment to help Newcastle United harness its tremendous potential and build upon its impressive and historic legacy while working closely with the local community #nufctakover https://t.co/p5xBsKL4gD

— Jamie Reuben (@jamiereuben) July 30, 2020

PT 2 – We would like to say that we truly appreciated your incredible expressions of support and your patience throughout this process. We are sorry it is not to be