Mike Ashley cancels takeover plans & will revert back to his old transfer policy - Report
According to Martin Hardy's piece in the Sunday Times, Mike Ashley is 'no longer looking to sell Newcastle United', with the report stating that he's failed to receive any 'realistic' offers over the past 17 months.
The piece also states that he will now ‘harden his stance that the club should return to its recruitment policy of buying emerging talent under the age of 25’ - also highlighting that his asking price has risen now the club have pulled away from the relegation zone.
Here's a snippet from Martin Hardy's piece in the Sunday Times:
"Mike Ashley is no longer looking to sell Newcastle United after failing to see any realistic offer materialise since he put the club up for sale 17 months ago
“At the beginning of January, Ashley was ready to sell for a fee of around £280m. Neither Kenyon nor Garry Cook could raise the funds to match that valuation. It is thought the value of the club, with Newcastle now close to confirming Premier League safety, has risen.”
Here's some of the key points from Hardy's article, as highlighted in the Chronicle's live blog this morning:
- Mike Ashley is no longer looking to sell Newcastle after ‘failing to see any realistic offer materialise since he put the club up for sale 17 months ago.
- The Magpies’ owner ‘has become annoyed at the expense the process has cost in that period’.
- Ashley had been willing to sell for a fee of around £280m last month. Interest from Amanda Staveley and Peter Kenyon failed to produce ‘what he considered a noteworthy offer’.
- The NUFC owner will now ‘harden his stance that the club should return to its recruitment policy of buying emerging talent under the age of 25’.
I was never convinced about Ashley's intentions when it came to a sale, but that last bullet point is particularly worrying when it comes to Rafa's future - especially when signing a 29-year-old Salomon Rondon will be top of his priority list this summer.
A damning article on so many levels, with us not only facing the reality of Ashley sticking around a little longer yet, but it offering a clear indication that Ashley will not change his ways to keep Rafa at the club this summer.
