Newcastle fans along with manager Rafa Benitez have been offered a faint glimmer of hope in the takeover saga between Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley.
A report in The Telegraph on Monday, written North East sports reporter Luke Edwards, suggests that Staveley and her PCP Capital Partners firm could return with a fourth bid to end Ashley’s acrimonious 11-year reign once Benitez has secured Premier League safety for Newcastle.
Staveley has already had three bids knocked back by Ashley, who is reportedly willing to sell for £300 million upfront, but reiterated her desire to buy the club in an interview with The Times in January.
Crucially, however, talks between the 44-year-old financier and Ashley broke down last month after the Magpies owner became disillusioned with Staveley submitting offers laden with clauses that were way below his asking price, complaining that negotiations “proved to be exhausting, frustrating and a complete waste of time”.
The report states that there have been to attempts by Staveley to reopen discussions with Ashley nor that the Sports Direct magnate would be willing to resume talks with the potential buyer, which means the saga is likely to drag on until the end of the season.
But the fact a prominent Newcastle United writer has suggested that Staveley could return with another proposal in the summer is a chink of light for Magpies fans and, most importantly, Benitez to cling onto.
