HOPES of a successful resolution to Newcastle United’s lengthy takeover saga have been raised by the Saudi Arabian’s government’s public crackdown on broadcasting piracy.

The Premier League’s owners and directors’ test is entering its third month, but while the governing body are still refusing to provide an indication as to when a final decision is likely, sources close to the parties involved in the proposed sale of the Magpies have been making increasingly positive noises in the last 24 hours.

There is a growing sense that a Premier League verdict is imminent – potentially even coming before the end of the week - with an increased degree of confidence that Amanda Staveley’s £300m buyout will receive the green light.

Two key developments are understood to have influenced the Premier League’s thinking in the last seven days, and tipped the balance in favour of them passing Staveley’s purchase, which will see the North Yorkshire financier’s PCP Capital Partners group secure a ten per cent stake in the Magpies. Saudi Arabia’s state-backed Public Investment Fund will provide 80 per cent of the funding, with property developers David and Simon Reuben accounting for the other ten per cent.

The British Government’s vocal support of Saudi Arabian investment into the United Kingdom has been an important factor in the Premier League’s thoughts, with legal experts claiming the foreign secretary’s public comments in the last week have made it more difficult for the Premier League to reject a Saudi-backed bid.

Speaking last week, Dominic Raab answered a direct question about Newcastle’s takeover situation by saying: “I think it’s right that legal due process, with all its safeguards that it’s got in place, is followed. We have this debate about takeovers in this country, and I think we should follow the rule of law.

“We had the same debate in relation to (Roman) Abramovich and Chelsea. I think it’s right that we welcome engagement, investment into football in this country.”

Earlier, Raab had tweeted his thanks to the Saudi Arabian government for their donation of medical gowns to the NHS, stating: “We will continue to work together.”

Another potential obstacle to the Saudi-backed bid has been at least partially dismantled over the weekend, with the Saudi government issuing a statement announcing a wide-ranging crackdown on internet piracy and the illegal broadcasting of premium sports content, including football matches from the Premier League.

Premier League officials have spent the last week assessing the World Trade Organisation’s report into the illegal streaming of content in Saudi Arabia, with the WTO concluding that elements within Saudi Arabia had “facilitated” the illegal streaming of the Qatar-based Bein channel on beoutQ, a Saudi-based rival station.

The Premier League are believed to have launched nine separate legal actions against beoutQ, only for their efforts to be blocked from within Saudi Arabia. It is feared that continued piracy could devalue the next round of bidding for the Premier League’s television rights in the Middle East, so the Saudi state’s first public acknowledgment of the issue is a significant development, especially as it has been accompanied by a series of concrete steps to stamp out the problem.

The Saudi regime have already made moves to shut down 231 websites that were illegally streaming sports content, and have issued a statement announcing that anyone infringing the new rules will be subject to a fine of 250,000 Saudi riyals (around £50,000) or up to six months imprisonment.

If Staveley’s proposed takeover is passed, the process of transferring ownership from Mike Ashley should be relatively straightforward, with a deposit of £17m already having been paid.

Questions would immediately be raised over Steve Bruce’s future, but there will not be change of manager this season. Bruce will be retained for the final eight matches of the current campaign, and will do everything he can to persuade new owners that he is worth keeping for the long term.

“I’m a fan and always will be,” he said at the weekend. “Whatever’s best for the club is best for me, but if there’s going to be a takeover and I can help Newcastle in any way, I’d love to stay in charge. It’s a difficult, difficult job. But I hope I can take this great club forward.”