Another self-made billionaire has his eyes on owning NRL club Newcastle, Englishman Marwan Koukash.
The 55-year-old Koukash, who bought and rescued Super League’s Salford Red Devils from financial strife in 2013, now wants to do the same with the Knights following fellow billionaire Nathan Tinkler’s exit in May.
Former Knights premiership winner Matthew Johns said on his Triple M radio show on Wednesday that Koukash, whose net worth is estimated to be as much as $3 billion and is the biggest owners of race horses in Britain, wants to extend his portfolio to the NRL.
“Dr Koukash is obviously a big NRL fan and his goal is to own an NRL team,” Johns said.
“He is absolutely desperate to buy the Newcastle Knights and is about to begin the process to be able to take ownership.
“Now the question is, can the people of Newcastle and the NRL trust another billionaire private owner.”
The NRL took over ownership of the Knights in June.
The game’s governing body owns 80 per cent of the club under the new model, with the Members Club owning a minority 20 per cent.
Koukash has poured plenty of money into Salford, making no secret of his desire to make them the Super League’s leading club with several big-name signings including Adrian Morley, Gareth Hock and Kevin Locke.