Mike Ashley set to release takeover statement calling out TWO ‘interested’ consortiums – Report
According to North-East reporter Ian Murtagh, Mike Ashley is ready to break his silence on the takeover front - and TWO 'interested' parties could be in the firing line.
His piece for the Daily Star claims that the NUFC owner plans to brand both Henry Mauriss and the Bellagraph Nova (BN) Group "time-wasters" in an upcoming statement, with him feeling the two consortiums are not 'serious' buyers.
Both had emerged as potential alternatives following the collapse of a Saudi-backed bid, however their reported 'interest' has come to nothing.
Murtagh claims 'bids' from both are still with Mike Ashley's lawyers and unlikely to go any further, with the Sports Direct owner set to give his version of events on both after a lot of talk but little action since a Saudi bid went stale.
As for the Staveley-led bid, his piece for the Daily Star states that Ashley will tell his critics he's NOT to blame for the collapse of the Saudi-backed buyout.
He's believed to be 'stunned' they pulled out over three weeks ago, but mainly 'frustrated' with the Premier League over the time taken to make a decision on their successful bid.
As for Mauriss and the BN Group, the former has disappeared at the very moment he had the perfect opportunity to step in and seal a deal, while the latter have been exposed over the weekend by Reuters, with their Chopra-led 'bid' appearing to be full of false claims and photoshopped pictures with Barack Obama.
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