New documents have appeared on Companies House this morning showing that Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium look to be moving a step closer to ending Mike Ashley’s reign at Newcastle United.
Twitter has blown up after a document headed with Companies House (the government’s official department that manages the registration and trading with companies) surfaced online addressing Staveley, the Rueben brothers, Justin Barnes and Mike Ashley’s lawyer Michael Murray – who is also his son-in-law.
The details seem to suggest a ‘registration of charge’ has been initiated between the buying party (Staveley) and the selling party (Ashley & Co), suggesting a deposit is being transferred:
The BBC’s Daniel Storey has also picked up on the ‘news’, stating that the document confirms ‘formal discussions’ – and could well indicate them moving towards ‘exclusivity’ – while the Chronicle’s Mark Douglas believes this indicates a deal is ‘closer than ever’.
Ashley has made it known previously he would like a deposit, to show potential buyers that they have proof of funds and are not wasting his time.
It is easy to be sceptical about this sort of news at first, especially after the Bin Zayed drama last summer, but there’s a lot to suggest this is significant and a clear step in the right direction regarding a potential takeover.
Keep the cans in the fridge for now, but these updated documents can only be seen as a promising sign – even if they have sent Mags into mass hysteria on social media!
