Hopes of a Newcastle United takeover are not dead in the water despite fears Mike Ashley is ready to walk away from negotiations, according to journalist Luke Edwards.
The Telegraph reporter claims on his personal Twitter account, after the Daily Mail reported that the British businessman could be set to put an end to talks over him selling the club on, that a deal is not close but by no means over.
Regarding club being taken off market. Bottom line is nobody wants to buy a club starved of investment which is in the bottom three so this is a bit misleading. Doesn’t mean it’s all dead but not going to happen in short term. Ashley won’t insert relegation clause in deal #NUFC
— Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) January 19, 2019
It is stated that Ashley has demanded that there is no relegation clause in any takeover deal, the Magpies currently sitting third bottom in the Premier League, and that the truth of the matter is that no one is looking at investing in a struggling side, delivering hope if Rafael Benitez’s men can rescue themselves from the threat of the drop.
Opinion
Edwards’ revelation might not be the news that Newcastle fans wanted to hear but it is definitely an improvement on the rumours circulating on Tyneside in recent hours. Of course no investor wants to buy a struggling Premier League side unless they are available for a cut-price – something Ashley would never agree too. He knows what a top flight side could be worth and is looking for that sort of price when it comes to negotiations. The real issue from all this is Newcastle find themselves in limbo, with an owner who does not want to invest in strengthening the club but will not sell up to someone who will plunge money into the team to get them climbing up the table. The only hope the Magpies have is in Rafael Benitez, who really is the biggest asset on Tyneside right now. His expertise in management means that despite the table Newcastle are not expected to go down by many and that belief will no doubt be shared by the playing squad.