Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has engaged barristers in his attempt to sell the club (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is gearing up for a legal battle with the Premier League over the collapse of a Saudi-backed takeover. Ashley has instructed lawyers Blackstone Chambers over a simmering row with the governing body after Amanda Staveley’s consortium withdrew its £340milion offer in July following a 17-week wait, ultimately in vain, for officials to complete their owners’ and directors’ test. The Premier League responded by insisting the proposed takeover could only proceed to a suitability assessment once “all appropriate information” had been provided and repeated its offer of independent arbitration, something which had already been rejected by the prospective buyers. Despite Ashley’s best efforts to rekindle the process behind the scenes, it appears to have reached something of an impasse, and the latest development represents an attempt to clear the path once again. It is understood they are still monitoring the situation, but it would take a significant change in outlook from one side or the other to enable a breakthrough, and it appears Ashley is now attempting to force such an alteration.

Source: Irish Independent September 14, 2020 15:22 UTC