In a week in which behind-the-scenes Premier League drama spilled into the public domain, Newcastle United owners PIF are now in talks for another business deal that could prove controversial. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) spent £305m to acquire 80 per cent of Newcastle in October 2021 – pocket change compared to the circa £700bn worth of assets they have under management. In the wake of that takeover, Premier League clubs voted to strengthen rules on associated party transactions (APT) in order to prevent Newcastle from striking artificially inflated commercial deals. In what is wide…