Yasir Al-Rumayyan flies into Newcastle with a week remaining of this transfer window | OneFootball

Yasir Al-Rumayyan has arrived in Newcastle.

The Newcastle United Chairman set to be inside St James’ Park tonight.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan watching Newcastle United take on Liverpool.

Heading up the Saudi Arabia PIF 85% majority ownership of the club, we can only speculate as to why the NUFC Chairman has arrived on Tyneside to coincide with this particular match.

Of course, it is a huge game, however, it is also impossible not to reference the fact that this also coincides with the final week of this summer 2025 transfer window.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the rest of the ownership group, the directors, are also reported to be on Tyneside and going to this match.

However, Sky Sports have got their reporting slightly wrong, as they claim this will be the first United match Yasir Al-Rumayyan has attended since the cup final win at Wembley in March, the first home game since the 4-3 victory over Forest in February.

‘Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is set to attend St James’ Park tonight to watch Newcastle vs Liverpool. The PIF governor last attended a home match in February against Nottingham Forest. Al-Rumayyan was at Wembley back in March when Newcastle beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.’

The Newcastle United Chairman was actually at the last competitive match at St James’ Park, exactly three months ago to the day.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and his fellow directors, including Jamie Reuben representing the Reuben family minority 15% ownership, were at the final Premier League of last season, when they watched United lose to Everton BUT qualify for the Champions League in a drama filled afternoon.

In his post-match press conference after the Everton defeat, Eddie Howe explained (see below) how he was set to go into a key meeting with Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the other directors to discuss the imminent transfer window that would open in exactly a week’s time.

I think we surely can take for granted that this visit with exactly one week remaining of the transfer window, will also see Eddie Howe meeting Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Jamie Reuben and the other directors, to discuss the plan for this final week of the transfer market trading.

With surely every chance of the Newcastle United Chairman giving any additional backing Eddie Howe might feel he needs, in terms of bringing in any other targets he would like to sign by 7pm next Monday (1 September) when the transfer window closes. The fact that United still haven’t announced a new CEO or Sporting Director, could well mean that current heads of recruitment Steve Nickson and Andy Howe will also be invited to any meeting(s) with the owners.

Then of course we have Alexander Isak.

The more reliable regular NUFC reporting journalists, especially as time has gone on, are insisting that the Newcastle United owners are not willing to sell Alexander Isak this transfer window.

I think it is very likely that Yasir Al-Rumayyan will have arranged a private meeting with Alexander Isak as well. Purely only my guesstimate of course, BUT with the Isak issue overshadowing so much of the positivity in terms of signings that have come in and a very good performance and result at Villa last weekend, for the Newcastle United Chairman not to look to help improve the situation during his visit, it would just make no sense.

Again, for what it is worth, my opinion is that there will be a meeting between Alexander Isak and Yasir Al-Rumayyan today or tomorrow, with then an official announcement that an agreement has been reached to defuse the current mess. Alexander Isak will return to training and subsequently the matchday squads, the striker will sign up to a new contract for substantially more money, with either a personal guarantee from the NUFC Chairman that Alexander Isak will be allowed to move to another club in summer 2026, or more likely a clause in his new contract of an agreed figure (less than £150m) that any club will be able to sign Alexander Isak for, after the 2025/26 season has ended.

The Mag report – 25 May 2025:

After overseeing the conclusion of United’s progress into the Champions League on Sunday despite a 1-0 defeat to Everton, Eddie Howe had this to say before heading into a summer recruitment conversation with Newcastle United Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and other senior members of the Saudi Arabia PIF majority ownership, along with Jamie Reuben representing the Reuben family minority NUFC ownership:

“As far as I’m aware, we do not have any PSR issues heading into this deadline.

“Now, I have to put a caveat in there, because I’m not seeing the figures, I’m only relaying what I’m getting told. But I think we are in a lot healthier position and a lot stronger position than we were at this time last year.

“We are looking to reverse what we did last summer.

“This time, we are in a strong position ourselves where we’ll be looking to make additions to the squad.

“I will have a discussion with the chairman and representatives from PIF today, and I’m looking forward to that.

“We will be trying to lay some foundations for what lies ahead in the summer.

“In terms of timings and everything that follows that, I don’t know, but the planning and all the things that go on behind the scenes have been there for a number of weeks now.

“We have been working hard to try to set things up for what we need to do.

“I think whenever I speak to the chairman, he is very focused on success.

“He is focused on achieving and winning, and he always leaves me in doubt that that’s what he wants, I’m working towards that.”