According to RMC Sport, the would-be Newcastle United owners have been in touch with ex-PSG sporting director Antero Henrique with regards to joining the project at St James’ Park.
The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund’s £300m takeover of the club has been teetering on the edge of completion for two months now and currently still resides with the Premier League as they look to complete their owners and directors tests.
Despite the fact that the O&D’s tests are still rumbling on, the would-be Newcastle owners are making plans for when the it goes through. They have told Antero Henrique that they would like to get him on board and want Henrique to make Newcastle “the next Manchester City”.
Pep Guardiola’s side became a force to reckon with in England when the Abu Dhabi United Group bought them in 2008, and PIF reckon the transfer guru can help turn around Newcastle’s fortunes on the pitch.
When the Abu Dhabi United Group bought Manchester City in 2008, they became a major force in European football with some serious investment both on and off the field. The PIF are hoping that Henrique will be able to lend a helping hand with the on-field side of things as they look to do something similar on Tyneside.
Henrique played a big part in the deal that saw Bruno Fernandes swap Sporting Lisbon for Manchester United. As well as that, he was the mastermind behind the huge deals that saw both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr join Paris Saint-German.
Newcastle are not the only team interested in his expertise though, with both Barcelona and Manchester United reportedly keen on hiring Henrique. If the PIF want to get get him on board, they will need to act fast – fortunately, he is said to be keen.
Henrique is not the only person Newcastle’s potential new owners have in their sights to take a position in the hierarchy of the club as either sporting director or Director of football. Former Lille director of football Luis Campos, as well as Domenico Teti, Owen Brown, Frank McParland and Pablo Longoria have all been linked with the role.
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