Reliable Newcastle journalist Chris Waugh has written a column outlining the latest on the Newcastle takeover, in a week when reports surfaced that owner Mike Ashley had taken the club off the table.
Writing for the Chronicle, Waugh says Ashley has actually just broken off talks with Peter Kenyon after the former Premier League chief failed to gather the necessary funds. And he also claimed that there were “strong whispers” behind the scenes of a fresh bid.
Waugh said that the club remains for sale but that, after getting irritated by failed bids from Amanda Staveley and Kenyon, Ashley will now only entertain offers from people who can prove they have the funds up front.
Waugh wrote, “Nothing has altered in that regard. Should someone come and bid in excess of £300m, in a no-strings-attached deal, then the conviction of those close to Ashley is that he would sell.”
And there’s an interesting line at the end of the article, that should excite Newcastle fans: “There have been strong whispers behind the scenes of fresh interest in buying Newcastle; but, until progress is made in that regard, scepticism will remain concerning Ashley’s intentions.”
OPINION
We’re not expecting Newcastle fans to get excited about this – the potential sale of the club has been going on for far too long – but this is good news. Waugh is an ultra-reliable journalist and far from Ashley taking the club off the table, it seems like it’s business as usual. The “strong whispers” should give newcastle fans faith that something could still happen in the foreseeable future. It looks like Newcastle will secure their Premier League status this season and once Rafa Benitez does that, the club instantly becomes more attractive to prospective buyers. Newcastle is a huge club and there must be genuine buyers who can see a way of returning the club back to a European force. If they can do that, the £300million asking price would seem like a real bargain.