Ashley, former Newcastle owner: Saudi offer was not the biggest

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has said he turned down a bigger offer than the one that transferred ownership of the English Premier League club to a group led by Saudi Arabia.

The English Premier League announced on Thursday the sale of Newcastle to a group consisting of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, BCP Capital Partners and RB Sports and Media.

In an interview with The Sun, Ashley said: “I would like everyone to know that I received a bigger offer to sell from the club than I accepted.

He explained: “But I think the offer we have accepted from the current new owners will serve the interests of the club better. Money was not the basis for me as sometimes I would step in financially to save Newcastle United and keep going. . “

Ashley added: “We made sure the wages were paid when we went down in hopes of going up and back up. I was the happiest person when we got back up right after that.”

Ashley has indicated that it is necessary to sell the club to ensure they can continue to compete at the highest level.

Source: “Reuters”