Ashley ups his stake in five-a-side centres

SPORTS Direct boss Mike Ashley has upped his stake in five-a-side operator Goals.

The billionaire Newcastle United owner has snapped up a £3.5m interest in the firm, almost doubling his holding to about 6.8pc.

It is the latest purchase by the retail boss, who acquired a 26pc stake in Game Digital last month. The 56-year-old already has stakes in Debenhams, French Connection and education retailer Findel. Shares in Goals, which recently struck a deal with Manchester City football club to fund its expansion into the US, jumped 9.6pc, or 9.5p, to 108.5p. Sports Direct shares finished up 0.8pc, or 3.3p, at 397.3p.

The retailer has had a rocky ride over the past 12 months and posted a 60pc plunge in profits in July. It blamed its weak performance on the sharp fall in sterling and Ashley’s failure to hedge against it, as well as a wave of bad press.