Sky Sports’ Pete Graves has responded to questions about the NUFC takeover on social media, revealing that Mike Ashley will return from holiday TODAY – also confirming that talks with PCP Capital Partners have NOT broken down despite claims of a deal stalling.
Any form of positive update on the proposed takeover have been few and far between in recent weeks, with some reports having suggested that a deal has stalled as Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley remain unable to come to a final agreement on price.
Here’s what the Sky Sports presenter said today when an NUFC fan asked if he could shed any light on the situation:
All I can say is Mike Ashley returns from holiday today. Let's see what developments the next few days may bring. I know there's a lot of panic. It's understandable. But talks despite being slow have certainly not broken down. #NUFCTakeover #nufc https://t.co/htUF7OLl6l
— Pete Graves (@PeteGravesSky) January 10, 2018
Good to hear Ashley will be back in the UK today. Whilst his presence in the country is not essential to conclude a deal (he’s only a phone call away and will have representatives on the case), it could kick-start the takeover talks and get things moving once again.
The Chronicle’s Mark Douglas and the Times’ George Caulkin have also been discussing the deal on social media today, suggesting that Staveley will be unable to influence our January spending as that was reliant on a deal being agreed – which it isn’t as it stands:
And they’re not suggesting it could be. The agreement with Ashley that funds would be released was reliant on a deal being in place. As things stand, isn’t it.
— George Caulkin (@CaulkinTheTimes) January 10, 2018
We wait patiently, but let’s hope to see some signings come in before anything else for now. They may be essential to guarantee our Premier League safety – without that we’re no longer a sellable asset Staveley would want.
How convenient that Ashley has a holiday at probably one of the most important times of the year. Sounds like another excuse… Oh we couldn’t ratify the transfers because Mike was on holiday then it was too late! I’m sure a little more planning goes into it than that but it all seems very convenient.
Ferdinand’s Heed(Quote)
Please just accept the offer and leave. He is not a stupid man so he must realise if he doesn’t invest in the team and we go down he will only get a fraction of what he wants.
Dazza(Quote)