Mike Ashley, the maverick businessman behind Newcastle United, today said he hoped to sell part of the club to local investors, but denied persistent rumours that he is looking to offload it outright. Ashley also rubbished recent stories that he has been in talks to sell Newcastle to the family of Osama Bin Laden, headlines that had infuriated fans who instantly threatened a boycott.
"Genuinely, genuinely, I am not looking for Newcastle shareholders in a cave in Afghanistan," he said. "Good morning Bin, how are you in your cave in Afghanistan? Would you like to come and sit next to me at the Toon army? Clearly not. Is that a rucksack you've got with you? Oh good."
Ashley has been dogged by rumours that he is looking for a way out of Newcastle ever since he took over at the club 14 months ago for £134m. The club was forced to issue a statement earlier this week insisting that Ashley remains a fully committed owner, but the once reclusive businessman has not previously spoken publicly about his plans.
Ashley also denied a story from last week that he had hawked the Premier League club for £420m to the American private equity firm InterMedia Partners. "There is absolutely no truth in that at all. It is absolutely bullshit."
Instead Ashley, who was raised in Slough, said he hoped to sell a "portion" of the club to local Newcastle businessmen. "It would be quite nice, be quite nice for the fans and everything else if we can get one or two partners in Newcastle United who are from Newcastle, so that's what we will try and do," he said.
Asked what percentage of the club he was looking to sell, he replied: "I would be quite happy to sell 1%. Just local guys, mad Newcastle fans and everything. I meet them and they say the only thing we regret is when you took the club, we then couldn't be a shareholder. If you want 1% of Newcastle, buy 1% of Newcastle for exactly the same price I paid for it. You can put in your money every year like I do, sit on the pitch and say this is one expensive season ticket, but I am having a lovely time.
"Newcastle United is not a thing you would make a profit on," he added. "Newcastle United is a thing you have to enjoy and love and enjoy going to the games and everything else. It would be very useful if we had some multi-billionaire partners that wanted a stake in Newcastle United. It would help."
Ashley said he would also welcome fans who wanted to club together and buy a stake, no matter how small, but that he had not yet held any formal talks with investors. "It would be quite nice if we were able to do something. It's good for Newcastle, for everybody to get together behind it."
Ashley made almost £1bn when he floated Sports Direct on the stock market in March last year. He said he wasn't personally bothered by the media attention he has had since buying the club but said he sometimes felt sorry for the fans. "It is upsetting for them to read these things; they read I am a mad Spurs fan and this sort of thing, and of course it is not true – I absolutely hate Spurs. I always have done."
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