Journalist confirms 'back-up' buyer set to make takeover bid if £300m Saudi deal is blocked
The Telegraph's Luke Edwards is today reporting that American media mogul Henry Mauriss is ready to pounce on a deal to buy our club should the Saudi takeover bid collapse.
This news aligns with claims made back in April, which saw The Mirror report that Mauriss held 'genuine' interest and Henry Winter reveal that TWO American groups were interested in a takeover should the Staveley-led deal be blocked.
Fast forward a month and it looks like Mauriss - who is the CEO of Clear TV Media (USA) - really is set to make a move *IF* the Premier League say 'no' to the Saudis, with Edwards claiming sources at Newcastle expect him to move 'quickly and decisively' should he be given the chance:
Here's a snippet from Edwards' latest takeover piece for The Telegraph:
The American entrepreneur Henry Mauriss is preparing to make a formal offer to buy Newcastle United if the purchase of the club by a Saudi Arabian-led consortium is not completed.
Newcastle believe Mauriss is ready to move quickly and decisively to take the club from Mike Ashley, with the Premier League still deciding whether to approve the Saudi takeover.
As things stand, the current takeover attempt by Amanda Staveley's group would have to collapse before anything progressed with another bid, as contracts have been signed and a deal legally agreed with Ashley.
There are no official figures on Mauriss’ net worth, but The Chronicle reported back in April that he “was responsible for purchasing, converting and reselling over $7billion via portfolio trades at Credit America.”
The US billionaires firepower may well drop in the ocean compared to the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (not that we know a great deal about his potential backing), but to have another alternative from Ashley can only be seen as positive news for us Newcastle fans.
There appears to be clear interest from our club from a source of different parties and it looks increasingly likely that the ownership will change hands this summer, which is something our fanbase has craved for over a decade.
