Why can't Ashley sell Newcastle United?
The latest efforts to sell the Premier League club started in the second half of 2017 with a price tag of about £400 million. But in recent days talks have broken down, according to people close to the team
Another season and another sale withers on the vine for one of the last big clubs up for grabs in the world’s richest football league. But the difficulty in closing a deal for Newcastle United might say more about the billionaire retailer who owns it than the asset itself.
Mike Ashley is a serial purchaser, snapping up British household names in retail from Evans Cycles to House of Fraser department stores, along witha stake in rival Debenhams. His flagship company, Sports Direct International, said on February 8 it made an offer for collapsed chain Patisserie Valerie. The Financial Times reported that the bid was abandoned.
