Reports of an imminent takeover of Newcastle United by a US-based consortium are wide of the mark, according to Daily Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards.
Edwards, who is the North East sports correspondent for the Telegraph, claimed on his personal Twitter account that Mike Ashley had not been in America to finalise such a deal, as reported by finance site Betaville earlier on Wednesday.
It is further added that a previously-linked US consortium is behind the latest rumour, despite being rubbished as a potential buyer of the club.
I’ve been informed Mike Ashley has not been in America recently to finalise a deal to sell #nufc and that there is a consortium, already dismissed in terms of being a creditable buyer, that appears to driving the flow of takeover rumours in the USA.
— Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) November 14, 2018
A US based group had expressed an interest in a takeover but after initial talks, it led nowhere. Club remains for sale but nothing appears to be imminent.
— Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) November 14, 2018
OPINION
This update will not come as a surprise to the Newcastle United fanbase, who will have approached these latest claims with scepticism. Ever since Amanda Staveley’s bid to takeover the Magpies collapsed after so many months of negotiation last season, the Toon Army have been careful to get their hopes up too high over any further takeover claims. This latest claim, emanating from America, looked like it could well have been legitimate, but Edwards seems to have dismissed that out of hand. It would make sense that this consortium who have been dismissed as a creditable buyer are spreading such rumours, with continued speculation over a takeover sure to increase their chances of a breakthrough. Anyhow it looks as though the club are set to rumble on towards the January window with no sign of a takeover being imminent. Fans must now hope that Ashley loosens the pursestrings for Rafa Benitez to invest in January, or they will be in real danger of relegation once again.
