Newcastle takeover failure sees 32,000 fuming fans sign petition urging Boris Johnson to launch a probe

MIKE ASHLEY is still desperate to sell Newcastle to the Saudi Arabian-led consortium.

Angry fans have demanded answers from Premier League boss Richard Masters.

Some 32,000 — and counting — signed a petition urging PM Boris Johnson to order a probe into the failed takeover.

Premier League chiefs are yet to comment after 17 weeks of their owners’ and director’s test.

But club MD Lee Charnley said: “Never say never, but to be clear Mike Ashley is 100 per cent committed to this deal.”

After 13 unhappy years owner Ashley wants to sell and still believes the sale could be resurrected, with no other offer on the table.

On Thursday, Amanda Staveley, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Reuben brothers withdrew their £300million bid.

They were so confident of getting the green light they had transferred funds to a London bank.

But Staveley’s husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, said all three sides of the consortium would still “do this deal tomorrow.”

It emerged that Saudi businessmen tried to solve the contentious TV piracy issue by offering huge sums to the Prem for the rights to screen matches in the kingdom.

It is understood CEO Masters dismissed the offer out of hand.

And Magpies legend Alan Shearer yesterday expressed his sympathy for the Toon Army.

He said: “There’s a lot of anger, understandably so, and a massive amount of disappointment.

“We can only hope and pray new owners come in at some stage and take the club back to where it belongs.”

But MP John Nicolson, a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said he was “disturbed” at how many fans were prepared to ignore Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses.