Wafer thin link between Cumbria and Newcastle United takeover broken

According to reports, Turkish billionaire Murat Ulker whose food empire includes McVitie’s, which has a factory in Carlisle, emerged as the front-runner to take over the club from present owner Mike Ashley, who put the club up for sale on Monday.

But Mr Ulker, the chairman of Yildiz Holding, which includes McVitie’s owner United Biscuits alongside companies producing everything from cakes and cooking oil to sweets and pasta, has ruled himself out of the running, following a statement to BBC Sport.

A Yildiz Holding spokesperson told BBC Sport: "The company is not purchasing Newcastle and no discussions about the team have taken place. We wish them the best of luck in finding a new owner."

While the link to Cumbria is as fragile as a biscuit produced at Carlisle’s McVitie’s factory, which employs more than 600 permanent staff and hundreds more seasonal workers, Mr Ulker’s son Ali Ulker visited Cumbria last year following flooding at the site caused by Storm Desmond.

The Vice President of Yildiz Holding, praised staff for a speedy return to production, which temporarily caused a national shortage of some products.

The factory produces around 80,000 tonnes of biscuits each year under the McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s and Crawford’s brands, plus supermarket own-label products. It is part of the wider United Biscuits company, which was bought by Yildiz Holding in 2014 and quickly merged with a number of other companies to create Pladis.

Murat Ulker is believed to be Turkey’s richest man, with a worth of around £3bn. Yildiz Holding has 77 factories worldwide and employs around 50,000 people.

Mike Ashley, the owner of Sports Director, who has a slightly smaller net worth of £2.4bn, is eager to complete the sale of Newcastle United before Christmas.

The Magpies, which have a strong following in Cumbria, currently lie in the top half of the Premier League after eight games.