Kieran Maguire: Mike Ashley doesn’t care who buys Newcastle as potential new bidder emerges
Mike Ashley does not care who he sells Newcastle United to so long as his asking price is met.
That is according to finance guru and Football Insider columnist Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively after American billionaire James Pallota appeared to hint that he may be interested in a Newcastle takeover.
The ex-Roma owner told The Athletic: “There are interesting teams in the Premier League that have great history. The Newcastles of the world. Great, great fanbase. Those are the kind of things I think would be interesting to be a part of.”
Earlier this week, Football Insider revealed that the club are confident of getting the green light from the Premier League over a Saudi-backed takeover.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund failed in a £300million bid to buy Newcastle last summer after a legal wrangle with the Premier League.
Ashley will be happy to have options and his only concern with selling the club is the fee he receives, according to Maguire.
“Mike Ashley will sell to somebody who matches his asking price,” he told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.
“I don’t think he’s got an emotional attachment to PIF. Unless there is some sort of exclusivity clause, I don’t see any problem in that area. The legal fees are a spent cost, it’s already gone.
“Remember, if Newcastle do get relegated then that decreases the value of the club. The last time they were in the Championship, they made losses of £90m.
“They sold off a load of players to halve that but even so, it was very expensive getting back up to the Premier League for him. So the legal costs relative to that are a pittance.”
Newcastle took a big step towards Premier League safety with a 2-1 win over Burnley on Sunday.
They now have a six-point cushion and a game in hand on Fulham in 18th place.
In other news, Newcastle United eye bid for Premier League defender one manager called an “absolute Rolls Royce.”