The £300m deal is awaiting the League's approval but that process is understood to have been held up given the complexity of broadcast piracy allegations against the Saudi state.

The Magpies are the subject of a £300million takeover bid backed by Saudi's Public Investment Fund, and if that is ratified the club would become one of the richest in Europe.

Haseeb Hameed and Joe Root's admirable resistance proved too little too late as England lost the third Test by eight wickets. Here, Sportsmail's Lawrence Booth takes a look at the talking points.

LAWRENCE BOOTH: England conceded their highest total in 983 Tests stretching all the way back to March 1877. India’s 759 for seven beat the 751 for five by West Indies in Antigua in April 2004.

TOP SPIN SPECIAL: England’s Ashes hopes are long gone, but here Sportsmail looks at five final Ashes Tests which were ‘dead rubbers’ but had ramifications beyond the result of the game.

England endured a day of humiliation as they were bowled out for just 58 in the first Test against New Zealand in Auckland. LAWRENCE BOOTH takes a look at some of the facts and figures

LAWRENCE BOOTH AT OLD TRAFFORD: Jos Buttler inspired England to a series whitewash after posting an unbeaten century in the final ODI against Australia on Sunday.

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN KANDY: England clinched a series victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday morning after taking the final three minutes in little over half an hour.

Belgium stars Michy Batshuayi and Thorgan Hazard had a go at playing the bagpipes ahead of their clash with Scotland on Tuesday. The duo also dressed in kilts ahead of their Euro 2020 qualifier.

Romelu Lukaku netted a brace against Scotland on Tuesday night but he came under-fire on social media for failing to score from close range.

Belgium have increased their lead at the top of the latest FIFA world rankings while Portugal have surged into the top five after winning the Nations League last week. 

The 33-year-old made his managerial bow for Anderlecht, but his tenure got off to a rocky start. Kompany was still afforded a rapturous response, although his team were jeered at full time.

Belgium's players relaxed between Euro 2020 qualifiers by completing an ambitious heading routine in a swimming pool. The squad are currently unbeaten after five games in Group I.

Scotland captain Andrew Robertson has revealed that Steve Clarke's squad held their own crisis summit in the wake of last Friday's dismal home Euro 2020 defeat to Russia.

STEPHEN MCGOWAN AT HAMPDEN PARK: Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans made headlines by comparing a game against Scotland to playing San Marino. 

The winger joined Real Madrid in a £150million deal from Chelsea in the summer but has failed to meet expectations. He arrived in Madrid carrying extra weight and has struggled to shift it.

Former Manchester City defender Omar Elabdellaoui is being lined up for a return to England by a string of Premier League clubs. Leicester and Watford are among the sides monitoring him.

Former Everton star Kevin Mirallas has opened up on his turbulent time with the Toffees, which included an awkward meeting with Aaron Lennon after a move to Tottenham fell through.

Russia have confirmed they will play their upcoming Euro 2020 Group I qualification matches in their old kit as their new strip inverts the country's flag.

The Belgium international has seen his Real Madrid performances come under scrutiny, most notably against Club Brugge when he was substituted at half-time after conceding twice at the Bernabeu.

Troy Parrott is keeping his fingers crossed that he did enough on his Republic of Ireland debut to be involved in Monday night's Euro 2020 showdown with Denmark.

Mick McCarthy says he is happier knowing Ireland have to beat Denmark on Monday to qualify for Euro 2020 - and he is considering using Spurs teenager Troy Parrott in the high-profile match.

If there is an edge to the game, then it comes from recent unflattering comments by the Danes about the Irish style of play. Now the manager intends to use those words as a motivational tool.

Michy Batshuayi has been poking fun at Dedryck Boyata after the defender accidentally wore his No 23 shirt for Belgium in their Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Russia. 

Shane Duffy is ready to reach Euro 2020 the hard way after the Republic of Ireland saw automatic qualification snatched from their grasp.

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku declared that he has been 'a man on a mission' ever since Belgium's third-placed finish at the 2018 World Cup.

Russian hoaxers telephoned the Prince on two separate occasions earlier this year and duped him into believing he was chatting with environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

The Duke of Sussex was reportedly in Buckingham Palace yesterday for a series of meetings to plan his future work in the UK while wife Meghan returned to their son Archie in Canada.

The Beatles: Get Back, a in depth look at the fraught recording sessions for 1970 release Let It Be, will premiere in the United States and Canada on September 4th.

Prince Harry and Meghan have been in the UK performing their last royal duties before starting their new lives in Canada. The Duke stayed in Britain while Meghan returned to their new home.

MLS have announced that they have suspended their league season for the next 30 days due to the coronavirus outbreak - delaying David Beckham's first home game as Inter Miami owner. 

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, 44, began displaying mild flu-like symptoms, including a low fever, on Wednesday night. She is currently self-isolating at her Ottawa home as she awaits test results.

Sony's comic-book adaptation Bloodshot, with Vin Diesel, grossed an estimated $9.3million from 2,861 venues from Friday to Sunday in the US and Canada.

Starbucks will temporarily switch to a 'to-go' model for many of its stores in the US for at least two weeks and it will shut down cafes in 'high social-gathering locations', including malls.

Australia's first female PM Julia Gillard has self-isolated in London after hugging Canada's first lady Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at a WE Day youth charity event at Wembley Stadium.

The Deadpool star, 43, and the Gossip Girl actress, 32, announced their charitable move via Instagram Monday in separate posts.

Diamond rock samples that have been uncovered from deep underground in Baffin Island, Canada, form part of the puzzle of Earth's ancient continent, the 2.7 billion-year-old North Atlantic Craton.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Jen Shears, 36, from Newfoundland, Canada, has been hunting since childhood and is now teaching her six-year-old daughter Aspen to hunt.

A senior Olympic chief revealed on Monday night a decision has been made to postpone Tokyo 2020 - with the Games now set to be held next summer.

The scenes echo those from coronavirus-stricken cities in Spain and Italy, where locked down locals in Madrid, Milan and Rome pay tribute to their healthcare workers each evening

As millions of people around the world adapt to working from home, those with children shared their hilarious attempts at being productive on Twitter - including a laptop placed inside a child's cot.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a private flight from Vancouver, where they have been staying since stepping down as senior royals, to LA where they are setting up a permanent home.

Sydney general practitioner and health coach Dr Jill Gamberg is pleading with people to stay home and stop hoarding protective equipment.

Prince Charles will be paying a 'private contribution' to the Sussexes US security costs, which are expected to be £2million per year, according to a royal source.

Mark Weir had been out riding his snowmobile with friends in Newfoundland, Canada, when they saw the moose fall into a deep pit and decided to help it.

Lynda Jager, from Ontario, began working out when she was 21 - but was always too scared to go to the gym, and would only exercise in her home.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: He's been married three times, imprisoned in both the U.S. and Australia, deported from Canada and exposed as a bigamist in the High Court in London.

Keelan Charlton, 28, from Somerset, spent months planning his romantic proposal to Elley Bugler, 24, but she told FEMAIL they are now stuck in Australia too scared to book flights home.

Krystin Lee, 33, from Toronto, Canada, has been blogging since 2012, and now has a dedicated following, including more than 177,000 Instagram followers.

Justin Trudeau has warned Donald Trump it is not in either of their countries' interests to engage in a coronavirus trade war after the US banned companies from exporting face masks.