Rae open to Ashley tie-up talks

MORTON chairman Crawford Rae last night refused to rule out takeover talks with associates of Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. As Sportsmail exclusively revealed, Derek Llambias and former Newcastle chief scout Graham Carr — father of comedian Alan — were shown around Cappielow by former Rangers director Sandy Easdale before Morton’s reserves lost 1-0 to Queen of the South on Monday. The pair also met chief executive Warren Hawke and manager Jonatan Johansson. Llambias, Carr and Easdale, already a Morton sponsor, want to establish the Greenock

side as a feeder outfit for Newcastle and other English clubs. Describing the visitors as ‘high-calibre individuals’, Morton chairman Rae welcomed news of the interest in a statement. It read: ‘We can confirm that Derek Llambias and Graham Carr attended Cappielow with Sandy Easdale on Monday in order to watch our talented youngsters turn out for the reserves in their match against Queen of the South. We have invested heavily in our youth academy and we can see that beginning to bear fruit, something that is being recognised across Scottish football and beyond. ‘While Derek and Graham were at Cappielow, we took the opportunity to give them a tour of the stadium and they were very impressed with the whole set-up at the club. ‘To receive interest in our operations from such highcalibre individuals within the game suggests that we must be doing something right. ‘We are always open to dialogue with interested parties who might want to discuss investment, no matter the level, with the aim of developing our club further as we aim to realise our maximum potential.’ Rae, a club director for 17 years, took over as Morton chairman in April.