Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has said that Mike Ashley will not give up ownership of Newcastle United unless he receives the right offer.
Phillips makes Ashley claim
After a takeover approach failed last year (The Guardian), Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium have returned to try once more to buy the St James’ Park outfit.
Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes Ashley may well move on soon, but only for the right price. He said:
“It’s got to the point where you don’t even want to talk about it.
“It’s been on it’s been off it’s been on it’s been off. A club being taken over, as a supporter you just want it to happen.
“No more so than with Newcastle. Ashley has spent a lot of money at that football club but now they want him out.
“But he’s a businessman and he won’t go unless he gets the right amount of money and let’s hope this time if it gets back on, it gets done and the club can start to move on.”
Hope remains
Newcastle fans will now be reaching a point of desperation. Ashley is deeply unpopular among the majority of supporters at St James’ Park, and many are eager to see him depart. That looked close to happening last year, so they may not be too willing to get their hopes up just yet.
The takeover fee last summer was £300m, and you get the feeling that Ashley was happy to leave with that sum before the Premier League rejected the bid from Staveley’s consortium. Of course, with the reputation Ashley has as a hard-nosed businessman, he will only leave on his terms, but a repeat offer in that ballpark should hopefully do the trick.
In other news, Lee Ryder slammed this man during the win against Burnley.
