Mike Ashley, owner of United in Newcastle, said he had turned down a bigger offer than the transfer of ownership of the English Premier League club to a Saudi-led group.
The English Premier League announced on Thursday the sale of Newcastle to a group comprising Saudi Public Investment Fund, BCB Capital Partners and RB Sports and Media.
In an interview with The Sun, Ashley said: “I want everyone to know that I’ve got a bigger offer to sell the club than I have 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 is not important to me because sometimes I have intervened financially to save United in Newcastle and continue it.”
Ashley added: “We made sure to get paid when we went down in the hope that we would go back up again. After that I was a very happy person when we went up again.”
Ashley noted the need to sell the club to ensure it continues to compete at the top level.
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