Newcastle will have new owners by January according to
the brokers hired to sell the club.
Two American groups are believed to be keen to acquire The
Magpies and are reportedly prepared to meet current owner Mike
Ashley’s £280 million valuation.
Talks are now at such an advanced stage that brokers Seymour
Pierce expect due diligence, where prospective buyers analyse the
club accounts in detail, to begin shortly.
Keith Harris, chairman of Seymour Pierce, told the News of the
World: “It is a good estimate to say the club will be sold by
January.
“There is serious interest expressed by two parties and work is
going on with them. One group approached me and I approached one
group.
“The change in the level of the dollar versus sterling has made
it much more attractive to buy sterling assets at this time.
“The new owner wants to be in a position to make an assessment
of what adjustments need to be made in January.”
If the deal goes through Ashley will reportedly earn a
profit after buying the club for £134 million 18 months ago
and investing around £100 million to pay off debts.