AMANDA STAVELEY insists she remains committed to completing a successful takeover of Newcastle United – and has repeated her call for the forthcoming arbitration process between the club and Premier League to be conducted in public.

A group of Newcastle supporters are travelling to Parliament Square in London today to protest against the lack of transparency in the ongoing dispute between Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and the Premier League board.

Ashley thought he had completed a £340m sale of Newcastle to Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners group at the start of last year, only for the proposed sale to collapse last summer.

Staveley’s group had the financial backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), as well as the Reuben Brothers, but the consortium was unable to successfully complete the Premier League’s owners and directors’ test.

The Premier League is understood to have had concerns about a lack of clarity relating to perceived overlaps between the ownership of Newcastle and the structures of the Saudi Arabian state, amid a backdrop of broadcasting piracy in the Middle East.

The takeover has effectively been on hold for the best part of a year, but Staveley insists she remains as keen as ever to engineer a successful resolution that would see Ashley relinquish control at St James’ Park.

“I’ve made my points very clear to the Government,” said the North Yorkshire businesswoman. “I think the arbitration is key. We want this transaction, and want the club. We want very much to be able to invest in the club, invest in the North, invest in Newcastle.

“There’s no reason why that can’t go ahead. Obviously, this arbitration process is critical, and I think that’s why all of us want to have the chance to see what is going on between the Premier League and Mike.”

Newcastle issued a public statement at the start of the month criticising the Premier League’s decision to stage this month’s arbitration hearing in private

The club also challenged the governing body to stage a separate competition court hearing relating to the proposed takeover in public.

As things stand, both processes will play out in private, something Staveley has taken up with the Government in an attempt to have changed.

“We want to have good relations with the Premier League,” she explained, in an interview on talkSport. “We are trying to become part of the their institution.

“We are huge fans of football at all levels. Grassroots football is very important – all football we are fans of.

“We’re very supportive of Mike and we are hoping we can be supportive of the Premier League. We would never have backed a Super League plan.

“I am hoping in the future, there’s a way forward. I don’t want to draw battle lines – I just want say, ‘Look, this process is going on and we want to become an investor in the club’.

“We would like the Premier League to run the arbitration process in public. Mike would like the same. Every question that anybody might have about how committed we were, what we want to do, can be answered.

“I think it’s also an opportunity for the Premier League to take a view that they welcome the transparency as well. It’s easier then, if there was any criticism post the process, everybody can say it was run with full transparency.”

Staveley praised the supporters who are travelling from the North-East to take part in today’s demonstration in the capital.

“I’m so staggered by all the incredible support we’ve had from the fans over the last year, actually more than a year,” she said. “Many of them today are taking time out of their busy lives to travel to London and we are so grateful for your support. We all think this is important.

“We think the arbitration process the club is running should be made public so that you guys and all of the wonderful fans can see exactly what’s going on.

“One of the greatest draws of the club to us was the fantastic fan-base, so I would like to take the time today to say thank you to you all.”