The situation at the top of Newcastle United’s hierarchy has taken another twist, with Mike Ashley raising his asking price for the Magpies after the club secured their Premier League status.
Rafael Benitez has worked wonders at St. James’ Park this season, despite working on a restricted budget and with a side he admits cannot be competitive every year, and Ashley is looking to cash-in on that success.
Sky Sports state his asking price for Newcastle has risen to between £380-400m this summer, a much higher figure than the £300m offer Amanda Staveley and PCP made for the club back in October.
Benitez wants to remain in charge on Tyneside but is seeking assurances from the board, which may be difficult to offer due to the ongoing takeover tussle, and any conclusion with PCP would have to be swift if the new owners are to be able to inject cash this summer.
A shortened transfer window and the upcoming World Cup in Russia gives PCP a much smaller window to complete a deal and it’s stated significant progress needs to be made swiftly if a deal is to occur that allows the new owners to spend.
