The price Mike Ashley paid to buy Newcastle United as £60m Derby County takeover talk rumbles | OneFootball

The former Magpies owner is understood to be keeping a close eye on developments at Pride Park

FLW takes a look at the price Mike Ashley paid for Newcastle United as Derby County takeover talk rumbles on.

Ashley is understood to be keeping a close eye on developments at Pride Park, with the Rams apparently valued at around £60m, according to two separate updates from journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon.

The former Magpies owner had previously shown serious interest in buying the East Midlands outfit during their period in administration - with his head of PR Keith Bishop confirming to Sky Sports in 2022, that Ashley was "100 per cent" interested in taking over the club.

Though those moves obviously failed to materialise, he also had a £20m bid for Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday quickly rejected at the end of last month.

So, just how much money did the Sports Direct owner spend when he ended up buying Newcastle?

How much Mike Ashley paid for Newcastle United amid Derby County takeover talk

Ashley’s purchase of Newcastle began on the 23rd of May 2007, when he bought Sir John Hall's 41.6% stake for £55.3m - which valued the entire club at around £132.8m at that time.

Under the terms of UK takeover law, having purchased more than 30% of a listed company, Ashley was obliged to make an offer to buy the remaining shares at the same or greater price.

The process sped up when then-chairman Freddy Shepherd, who was initially resistant to the takeover, eventually agreed to sell his 28% shareholding to Ashley that June.

By July, Ashley took his total spend up to £134m in total to acquire the remaining shares and become sole owner of the Tyneside club.

Considering the 61-year-old eventually sold the North East club to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for a reported £300m, Ashley clearly had more than enough to save Derby a few years ago, let alone buy the club now.

Mike Ashley faces potential competition if he chooses to pursue Derby County takeover

Earlier this summer, it was reported that Derby's owner, David Clowes, is open to selling 80 per cent of his shares in the club.

This is perhaps why there have been multiple suitors attracted to the Rams in recent weeks. Nixon - again via his Patreon - revealed how American billionaire John Textor is now actively attempting to secure funding for a takeover bid of his own.

Textor, who owns stakes in Brazilian club Botafogo and French side Olympique Lyonnais among other clubs in his Eagle Football Holdings portfolio, has seemingly promised to bring young players from Fogão to the Rams as part of his plans.

Another name being linked with potential interest at Derby is James Bord - who was involved in Sheffield United's AI-driven recruitment model this past transfer window.

Ultimately, the presence of multiple interested parties seeking investment in Derby shows just how much potential there is at the club.

Whether any of the earlier-mentioned names decide to make a formal move remains to be seen, but given that Clowes is open to investment, you could argue that it won’t be long before we see such things happen.