Who is Henry Mauriss? The story behind the man reported to have tabled a £350m takeover bid for Newcastle United

Tyneside awoke to news of ANOTHER takeover bid as the wait for Premier League approval for the PIF, Reuben Brothers and PCP Capital Partners deal goes on.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: General view inside the stadium looking out to the city ahead of the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on January 01, 2020 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: General view inside the stadium looking out to the city ahead of the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on January 01, 2020 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: General view inside the stadium looking out to the city ahead of the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on January 01, 2020 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

The Saudi-led consortium, pulled together by PCP fixer Amanda Staveley, have been waiting around 11 weeks for a decision from the league, who are in the midst of conducting their owners and directors test to determine whether the buyers are fit and proper persons to own Newcastle United.

PIF, PCP and the Reubens have already paid a deposit for the club, thought to be around £17million, and agreed a £300million deal to buy out Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley. Pulling out of the deal is not an option at this stage, with the transaction requiring just the green light from the league and the transferring of funds to complete the handover.

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With that in mind, another bid dropping on the desk of Ashley’s Shirebrook HQ poses a number of interesting questions?

Why now? Why bid £350million when the asking price was lower? Who is the the new bidder, Henry Mauriss?

Here we take a look at Mauriss, his background, motives and more.

Who is Henry Mauriss?

Details are a little sketchy when it comes to finding a digital footprint for Mauriss, but we will work with what we’ve got.

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A California native, Mauriss as a US businessman who made his cash through his various media companies and credit card enterprises.

At present he is the CEO of Clear TV Media over in the states. They are know for providing broadcast services to airports and hospitals.

A former owner of Credit America Corporation, he is a big sports fan, with a love for Major League Baseball as well as a liking for Tottenham Hotspur. Sound familiar?

What is his worth?

No record of Mauriss’ personal wealth is available online, making him a bit of an international man of mystery.

How did the bid materialise?

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According to reports the bid was brokered by a close associate of Ashley himself, Chris Ronnie.

Ronnie was jailed for four years in 2014 after a £1m fraud while in charge at Sports Direct’s sportswear rivals JJB Sports.

While Ronnie is thought to have worked as the fixer in this deal, reports suggest he will have no further involvement should things progress.

What next?

We wait, and if needed, wait a little more.

Patience is a virtue when it comes to the Newcastle United takeover, even if it is wearing very thin across Tyneside.

The Premier League hold the cards on this one.

If they pass the Saudi consortium, Mauriss & Co can bid £500million for the club and as long as PCP, Reubens and PIF transfer the funds to Ashley’s accounts the deal is done.