Former Yorkshire chair Colin Graves in negotiations for club ahead of Mike Ashley
Former chairman of Yorkshire cricket club Colin Graves could be a surprise buyer of the county after he reportedly entered advanced negotiations with the outfit who have recently been at the centre of a racism storm.
The move would sensationally derail an attempt by former Newcastle United owner and retail tycoon Mike Ashley’s attempt to move for the county, according to the Telegraph.
Yorkshire have also reportedly been subject to interest from franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), who held their lucrative auction yesterday.
The club currently owes in excess of £16m to the Graves family trust and a move by the former chairman to return to his once held role could see this converted into equity.
The Telegraph reports that the company would effectively purchase Headingley for £23m and hand the county a 99-year rent-free lease.
The England and Wales Cricket Board had loaned the club money to keep them afloat during the winter months and some reports suggest that Ashley could have been waiting for the club to fall into administration before making a move.
Ashley and Yorkshire are yet to publicly comment.
It comes as the club continue to look to rebuild their reputation having been fined £400,000 and docked league points in the County Championship in the fallout over a racism scandal that hit English cricket.
They were punished by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission.
Graves was the chairman of Yorkshire between 2012 and 2015 and became chairman of the ECB between 2015 and 2020 having previously been elected to the role of deputy chair.