If they really wanted him to sign they could just have bought the players he asked for and his signature would be on the contract by now. It's obvious bullshit.
Of course they don't want him long-term - him staying necessarily means we become competitive and expectations are raised accordingly, which runs contrary to our purpose as a club that serves as one massive Sports Direct advert to a global audience.
The managerial strategy will be to continue to gamble on whichever name is available to keep us afloat, and only spend serious money if we go down. That Rafa fell into their lap was just a helpful bonus that ensured some semblance of continued (comparative) success and therefore more exposure for Sports Direct.
I would wager good money that Ashley's view is that some vaguely capable manager will always be available, with more money released the less capable they are.