Former Manchester United and Chelsea chief exec Peter Kenyon in talks to buy Newcastle United
The former chief exec of football clubs Manchester United and Chelsea is planning a sensational swoop to buy Newcastle United from retail tycoon Mike Ashley.
Peter Kenyon, who now heads up a consultancy called Opto Advisers, has approached potential financial backers in recent weeks to raise cash for the deal.
Sky News reported he was working on the bid with Rockefeller Capital Management, a New York firm run by Greg Fleming, a well known name on Wall Street.
Preliminary talks have also taken place between Kenyon and Sports Direct boss Ashley, who has reportedly slapped a £400m price tag on the club.
The value of Kenyon's offer is currently unclear. The businessman would take a senior role in running the club if the deal goes through, Sky News said.
The takeover is far from being a done deal, as Kenyon still needs to find backers, and has approached a number of private equity firms and high net worth individuals, although it's unclear what progress has been made in these talks.
Ashley is unpopular with large parts of the Newcastle fan base, and angered the toon army after he acquired House of Fraser for £90m in August, after failing to splash the cash on new players in the summer transfer window.
Kenyon could not be reached for comment.
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