As revealed by Sky Sports, a US-based consortium led by Peter Kenyon are now the ‘front runners’ to seal a takeover for Newcastle United, with them offering Mike Ashley ‘in excess’ of £300m.
Not only that, the big story from Sky confirms that several other parties are in the running, claiming that Ashley has received bids in excess of £300m from ‘at least’ FOUR parties in total.
It’s even stated that there is now ‘optimism’ that a deal could be concluded in the next three weeks – with the emphasis clearly placed on a deal being done BEFORE the January window.
Here’s a snippet from Sky’s promising piece on the takeover front – confirming interest from Kenyon and three others:
“A consortium led by Peter Kenyon is one of at least four parties in the running to buy Newcastle from Mike Ashley, Sky Sports News understands.
“The former Chelsea and Manchester United CEO has been in talks with the Newcastle owner since September, as revealed by Sky News, after he made clear his intentions to end Ashley’s 11-year tenure at St James’ Park.
“Kenyon has also been in talks with US-based investors for weeks, with the support of Rockefeller Capital, as he drums up further financial backing for his bid.
“Ashley has received bids in excess of £300m from at least four parties; the majority of whom are understood to be backed by foreign investors, according to Sky sources.
“Negotiations are continuing this week and there is optimism that a deal could be concluded in the next three weeks.”
A consortium led by Peter Kenyon is one of at least four parties in the running to buy Newcastle from Mike Ashley, @SkySportsNews understands: https://t.co/XkzRxZB65z pic.twitter.com/k1IqQcL0tj
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 5, 2018
With him reiterating his wish to sell on Sky news this week and suggesting that he hopes to have a deal done before the year is out, today’s news suggests he will sell – it may just be a matter of who he sells to.
Kenyon – a former Chief Executive at Chelsea and Man Utd – is said to know Ashley personally, so this could play a part in him being the ‘front runner’ as things stand, however it’s positive to hear that several other parties are also in the running, meaning Ashley could have plenty back up options if a certain party pulled out.
I’ve got everything crossed!
I am still being told by a friend in Bahrain that he is aware of a Middle East buyer who has signed the NDA and lodged money in escrow.
BillyTheFish(Quote)