Amanda Staveley says Newcastle takeover bid still on the table after Mike Ashley claimed talks were 'waste of time'

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Amanda Staveley insists her proposed takeover bid for Newcastle United remains on the table despite Mike Ashley’s claim that talks had collapsed, with the businesswoman stressing “I’m very much still interested” with the future of the Premier League club in limbo.

Ashley is keen to sell Newcastle after owning the club for a decade, and has been locked in talks with Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners group since before Christmas.

Negotiations have stalled over the valuation of Newcastle, with Staveley believed to have offered around £250m in a deal that could potentially rise to £300m is certain clauses are met. However, Ashley values the club closer to £400m, and he spoken out this week to claim that talks have been “exhausting, frustrating and a complete waste of time”.

Staveley though has hit back at Ashley and offered Newcastle fans hope of a resolution to the takeover saga in the near future by confirming that the offer remains available to Ashley.

"Our bid remains on the table,” Staveley told The Times. "This is an investment, but it has to be a long-term investment. Newcastle would be run as a business, but we want it to be a successful, thriving business that is an absolutely integral part of the city."

With the talks dragging on and on, Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has grown increasingly frustrated with both the lack of certainty over the future of the club and the failure to make the transfer that he feels are necessary to keep the side in the Premier League and avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

But in what appeared to be a big injection of confidence in the Spaniard, Staveley confirmed that he remains central to her plans – should she complete a takeover in the coming weeks.

"Rafa is doing an incredible job,” Staveley added. “We want Rafa to be part of this project."

Ashley bought Newcastle in 2007 for £134.4m, and despite being relegated from the Premier League twice during his time at the helm, the club’s latest accounts showed a profit of £900,000 for 2015/16, with a turnover of £126m.