Yesterday, it was reported that China real estate tycoon Xu Rongmao was in talks with Newcastle United. If the acquisition was successful, Xu Rongmao would become the first person in China to own a Premier League club.
Ashley, the current owner of Newcastle, bought the club in early 2007. However, Newcastle did not achieve the desired results, and internal and external troubles continued. This month, the team coach kevin keegan resigned and left, which made the fans extremely disappointed with the club. In this case, Ashley has no intention of spending any more. According to reports, his latest offer for the club is 240 million pounds (about 3 billion yuan). According to British media reports, in addition to China businessman Xu Rongmao, a consortium from the northeast of England also participated in the bidding. To put it another way, Xu Rongmao also faces five major rivals, including Microsoft boss Bill Gates, who has occupied the position of the richest man in the world for a long time.
According to media speculation, Xu Rongmao's bid for "Magpie" is based on the expansion of St James' Park Stadium (the home of Newcastle) and the surrounding real estate development planning. The expansion plan includes a series of new peripheral facilities around the stadium, such as hotels, subway stations, casinos and luxury houses. The whole plan is led by the city hall, with an initial budget of 300 million pounds.
If Xu Rongmao succeeds in acquiring Newcastle, it will definitely be good news for China football, and the opportunities for China players to study in top foreign leagues will be greatly increased, which will also promote the contact opportunities between China League and high-level leagues.