ASHLEY GOES TO LAW!

MIKE ASHLEY has stepped up his legal battle with the Premier League by hiring top sports QC Nick De Marco in a bid to force through a Saudi-backed takeover.

The Toon chief is desperate to accept the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) offer of £305million.

But the Premier League and the club are at loggerheads over the failed takeover, with each blaming the other for the breakdown.

Newcastle issued a statement last week accusing Premier League chief executive Richard Masters of acting inappropriately, and claiming the league had rejected the deal “in its owners and directors test”.