Newcastle boss takes next step to sell club

NEWCASTLE owner Mike Ashley has appointed investment bank Seymour Pierce to handle the sale of the club.

A club statement said: “The board of Newcastle United can today confirm it has appointed the London-based investment bank Seymour Pierce to act on the potential sale of the club.

“All matters relating to the sale of the club, including inquiries from interested parties, should go through Seymour Pierce.

Ashley confirmed he was putting the club up for sale after fans staged mass protests against him and the recruitment team he appointed before and after the 2-1 Premier League defeat by promoted Hull.

He, managing director Derek Llambias, executive director of football Dennis Wise and vice-president of player recruitment Tony Jimenez last week flew to Dubai in an effort to push through a deal. However no agreement was struck.

As well as being linked with potential purchasers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, there has been talk of investment from China, Qatar and more recently, Nigeria.

Indeed, reports from Africa have suggested a bid of £350 million (€439m) — some £130m (€163m) less than the asking price allegedly quoted last week — has already been tabled.