Ipswich Town have rubbished reports that owner Marcus Evans has put the struggling club up for sale.
According to reports in the national media, Evans is said to be asking £35m for the club – but is not prepared to write-off the debt owed to him, which has now soared to £95.5m.
That would mean any buyer would effectively have to stump up in the region of £135m for the Blues, who currently sit rock bottom of the Championship.
But, when asked about the report tonight, a club spokesman simply said: “It’s rubbish.”
The news comes in the same week that the club revealed their accounts for the financial year ending June 30, 2018.
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In what was a continuation of general themes during Evans’ decade-plus ownership, a pre-tax loss of £5.2m was posted and the debt – owed exclusively to 87.5% majority shareholder Evans – increased to £95.5m.
The wage bill rose from rose from £17.8m to £18.5m, while gate receipts fell from £5.1m to £4.7m.
Season ticket sales dropped by almost 2,000 for the second year in a row (12,022 down to 10,144), though there was only a slight drop in average league attendances (16,271 compared to 16,980).
In the summer, when Evans gave his first-ever on camera interview since taking over the Blues almost 11 years ago, the multi-millionaire businessman did say that he would consider offers for the club if he felt it was the right thing to do.
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“If I didn’t feel we had a chance then yes, it would be time for me to move on,” he said.
“I have no desire to sell. I think the plan I have in place has a chance for success and I want to be here to carry out that plan. But money is always going to make a difference.
“More money in this league would give us a better chance, particularly if spent wisely.
“Particularly if someone came alone who could do a better job, had the personal and financial credentials to do a better job, I’d always do what was right for the club.
“I’m in the fortunate personal position where I don’t have to recoup the investment that I’ve made in the club.
“So, I suppose yes if the right person came along, offered a better prospect for the club, it would be wrong to for me to stand in their way. I’d have to look at that very seriously.”
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