Newcastle United and Manchester City are unhappy with the way Premier League clubs are targeting them.

The Daily Mail reports one club chief executive of another club this week called for curbs on investment from companies specifically from the Gulf.

The explicit geopolitical reference to funding from the region came in an email sent to the other clubs before the emergency Premier League meeting on Monday, at which they voted to introduce a one-month ban on sponsorship involving related parties.

Newcastle voted against the proposal and City abstained, due to doubts over whether the ban is legally enforceable and the speed with which the restriction was being introduced.

The tone of some of the other correspondence between the clubs this week also raised eyebrows, particularly the tendency to lump Newcastle and City together due to their ownership groups — Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi respectively.

The growing divide has created a problem for the Premier League. While there has been a major backlash against the £305million purchase of Newcastle, the Government have welcomed it.

The issue will likely dominate next month's meeting of the 20 clubs, when chief executive Richard Masters is expected to call for unity.