More generally, Saudi Arabia's intention is to have, after Newcastle, also a club in Italy, conceived strategically as an investment possibility and with good margins for growth.
Interestingly, Elliott's loan expires in 2025 and Cardinale will need to find around 700m (including interest) to repay it.
Cardinale in recent days has stated: "I just arrived and they're already asking me to leave (smiles)? The way I think about exiting this investment is to find a way not to exit it. I think it's one of the greatest opportunities I've ever seen in my 30 year career.
"You can have an incredible community impact, nothing like what I've had so far. I want to find a way to capitalize and monetize for my investors and still remain an owner. I think there are many avenues to do that, but we're nowhere near that right now."