Benítez’s contract expires at the end of next month

Rafa Benítez is understood to be seeking assurances about Newcastle United’s future after a Middle Eastern billionaire announced that he had “agreed terms” to buy the club.

The Newcastle manager has been involved in painstaking contract discussions with the club since the final league match of the season. His present deal expires at the end of next month.

While Newcastle are pushing for Benítez to sign an extension, the Spaniard wants to know more about Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and supposedly a relative of Sheikh Mansour, the Manchester City owner.

The Sun reported on Sunday that Mike Ashley had agreed to sell Newcastle to Sheikh Khaled for £350 million and that contracts had already been