Bizarre news on Joelinton and Saudi PIF

Some odd claims have emerged over the last 24 hours regarding the future of Joelinton.

The Brazilian is under contract for another three years and remains a vital part of Eddie Howe's side. He turns 29 in August, but there should be no desire to let the big man leave anytime soon.

However, according to reports this week, a number of Saudi Pro League clubs are looking to sign our midfield enforcer.

And this is where the bizarre bit comes in, as talkSPORT are reporting that several PIF-owned clubs in Saudi Arabia are looking to sign Joelinton.

What's odd is the same report states that Newcastle are not interested in losing Joelinton this summer. With that in mind and PIF owning both clubs involved, it's a bit of a head-scratcher.

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) own a 75% stake in four foundational clubs—Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr - and have spent huge sums of money bringing big names to their country, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema all making the move in recent years.

Hopefully this is nothing more than a column filler and vague rumour that will come to nothing, as a PIF-owned SPL side signing one of our most loved players at Newcastle would feel like a massive kick in the teeth, especially when we've never benefited from any favourable deals in the opposite direction since the Saudis took over.