Mark Douglas has claimed in his latest piece for The Chronicle that the latest sanctions by the UK government on human rights abusers will not affect the proposed takeover of Newcastle United.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab addressed the House of Commons with new post-Brexit sanctions for certain events that fall into the category of human rights abuse, including that of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, where as many as 20 Saudi nationals are thought to be involved in his death.

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of the late Khashoggi, has also accused the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) of being involved in his killing, however, nobody from the Saudi government, including MbS himself, have been found to have been involved as of yet.

The Saudi crown prince and his country's Public Investment Fund (PIF) are set to take an 80 per cent stake in the Magpies if the prospective £300 million deal between Mike Ashley and the buying side, which also includes businesswoman and head of PCP Capital Partners Amanda Staveley and the billionaire Reuben brothers originally from India but based in London, is eventually approved by the Premier League.

The consortium must pass the Owners' and Directors' Test (ODT) set out by the top flight, and MbS has been questioned as to whether he fits the criteria of being a fit and proper person.

However, Douglas does not see this as a problem even following the news of the sanctions, as MbS or his PIF were not said to be connected in the ruling over Khashoggi's murder.

"To the straightforward question: will this have any impact on the bid the answer - surely - is no. Those close to the bid have always denied any link between anyone who has involvement or will have day-to-day responsibilities in any wrong-doings. That includes piracy, the biggest issue they have dealt with, but extends to the brutal murder of Khassogi," Douglas wrote.

This may be a positive sign for some members of the Toon faithful, as they still await a final decision to be made by England's highest division.

Geordies, do you agree with Douglas? Comment below!