🚨EXCLUSIVE – Al-Rumayyan breaks Newcastle United silence as PIF plan revealed

The Public Investment Fund has been the majority owner of Newcastle United since October 2021.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan has vowed that the Public Investment Fund remains committed to its overseas investments.

In a fresh message at the FII Priority Summit in Rome, Newcastle United’s chairman reiterated PIF’s position as “long-term, patient investors.” Doubts about whether PIF – which owns an 85 per cent stake in the Magpies – would remain committed to its international investments emerged earlier this year.

In April, PIF outlined its “Value Realization” phase, a strategy designed to generate stronger returns from its rapidly expanding global investment portfolio. Naturally, questions were raised over whether Newcastle United could eventually be affected by the shift in focus.

However, the Magpies have proven to be one of PIF’s smartest long-term investments.

Newcastle United was acquired for around £305 million in October 2021 and is now widely valued at well over £1 billion. Since the takeover, PIF has invested hundreds of millions of pounds into the club while overseeing significant growth on and off the pitch. Owning a Premier League club also provides a high-profile platform on the global sporting stage.

Toon chairman Al-Rumayyan – who also serves as the governor of PIF – travelled to Tyneside in May. During his visit, he reaffirmed his long-term commitment to making Newcastle a genuine football powerhouse.

That ambition has also been echoed by CEO David Hopkinson, who believes the Magpies can establish themselves as one of Europe’s leading clubs over the coming years.

Speaking at the FII Priority Summit, Al-Rumayyan outlined PIF’s commitment to its global portfolio, which includes Newcastle United.

“For us at the PIF, we always continue to invest, be very much diverse and our portfolio structurally resilient,” he said. “We are a long-term patient investor and we will remain committed to all of our investments and investment strategy around the world.

“A lot of people thought we would stop deploying investments internationally. I can tell you that we’re not going to stop. The percentages are going lower, but the absolute numbers will continue to grow.

“We just got our board to approve our new strategy until the end of 2030. What PIF did since 2016, we basically brought the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the world. Now our new strategy is to bring the world back to Saudi.”