Ben Jacobs has dropped a claim on possible relegation in terms of the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Writing in a Twitter thread, the sports journalist claimed: "PIF sources tell me the business plan put forward does factor in long-term contingencies (over ten years) for relegation, but the shorter term strategy outlined would change "radically" if the club started in the Championship."

Jacobs added that talks of a takeover of the St. James' Park faithful were always "on hold" due to the North East club's pending arbitration case against the Premier League, as he quite worryingly stated that the deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA consortium is "meaningless" until the Tyneside club were safe from being relegated from the top flight down to the EFL Championship.

Worrying times for potential Newcastle takeover

These are now worrying times in terms of whether the potential takeover of the Magpies by the KSA group can get itself back on track.

With Steve Bruce's team currently sitting in 17th spot in the EPL table at the moment on 26 points after 26 games, just three above 18th-placed Fulham in the drop zone (BBC Sport), there is a real distinct possibility of relegation.

As Jacobs points out, the deal for the KSA consortium to take over from Ashley is "meaningless" unless the Toon can avoid relegation, and if they were to suffer that exact fate come the end of the 2020/21 term, then it may well seriously jeopardise the chances of the bid being pushed through.

Nonetheless, NUFC will want to prioritise safety first before any talk of the potential takeover can come back into fruition.

In other news, find out what claim a finance guru has dropped on the potential takeover here!