When assessing the the validity of the latest Newcastle United takeover claims it is worth remembering what Mike Ashley said about the sale of the club earlier this year.
Former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has returned with a fresh bid to buy Newcastle off Ashley having failed with a bid earlier this year.
Kenyon has been backed by the US-based GACP , who also own Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, and has produced a 46-page brochure detailing his plans.
The offer to buy Newcastle is said to stand at £125million up front with further payments taking the deal up to £300million.
It has been met with cynicism by fans who have had their fingers burned by previous takeover bids.
A lot of fans are pointing to the interview Ashley conducted with the Mail Online in July where he explained that if a takeover story emerges in the press, the likelihood is that if it is not already complete, it won't be completed.
"I'm not a believer any more. Peter Kenyon convinced me last Christmas that it was going to get done," Ashley said.
"I'm never doing that again. I think I could own this football club for ever. That is my new mental state.
"The reality is with these deals that once it gets out, if it's not done, it's probably not going to get done.
"The day someone buys Newcastle, they'll do their due diligence - and finished.
"It will happen like Manchester City. By the time the media find out, it's already complete.
"There's no need for a delay with Newcastle. It is, honestly, a very well-run football club.
"The last bid, the one from UAE, he's a prince and he's got £38bn or £100bn, all these numbers — well, why would you even care what you're paying then? What difference would £10m either way make? You would want speed, you would want certainty, you would want the keys and to get on with it.
"I will not stand in the way of Newcastle United. I will not stop that, if it happens. If such a person comes along I will think I've done quite a good job and I will want to keep going to watch them.
"I'll keep a box, because my parents will demand it. Every time there's a story that I've sold, I get the phone call. 'You haven't included our box in the sale?' When you own a football club, the whole family are in."
