Newcastle could be the latest Premiership club to be targeted for a takeover after a Jersey-based investment company confirmed their interest today.

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd is confident of beating off any bids for control of the club.

Newcastle today announced a drop in profits of £7.4m (€11.1m) as a result of missing out on Champions League football this season.

Carlsberg AS said currency effects and increased costs had a negative impact on full-year earnings at Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH), in which it has a 50% stake.

ROYAL Bank of Scotland Group, Denmark’s Elsam, and a group of buy-out firms made acquisitions totalling €5.7 billion in Europe’s busiest day for takeovers this year, benefiting advisers such as Merrill Lynch & Co and UBS.