EXECUTIVE Chairman Shane Mattiske says the sale of the Newcastle Jets before Christmas remains achievable despite rival A-League club Perth Glory being back on the market.
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The takeover of the Glory by a Melbourne-based property consortium was terminated on Monday and receivers KordaMentha indicated that they would re-engage with other interested parties to secure a buyer.
KordaMentha, a financial advisory firm, are also engaged to sell the Jets, who have been on the market for nearly two years.
After taking over the formal sale process of Newcastle on October 22, KordaMentha reported strong initial interest.
Mattiske said talks with potential buyers remained positive and believed the Glory, who were put into administration in July by previous owner Tony Sage, were in a "very different position" to the Jets.
"We are focused on the process that we are moving through to find an owner," Mattiske said.
"That has been really positive to date.
"KordaMentha, led by their Sydney team, has added strong rigour to the process. It is not the same people who are running the Perth process.
"We have interested parties who are working with KordaMentha to get a deeper understanding of the club.
"The process has been set up to put the club in a position where we would have an owner for the new year. That is still the focus."
Mattiske said they had received interest from a range of parties, both domestic and international.
The Herald has previously reported that the price tag for the Jets is about $15 million.
The owners of four rival clubs have been bankrolling the Jets since Chinese businessman Martin Lee had his licence stripped in January, 2021 and will continue to operate the club until a buyer is secured.
"We have seen real interest in the club," Mattiske said. "That demonstrates what has been done here in building a really strong academy, a solid men and women's team, developing stability, good sponsors and strong membership.
"Bringing in a more permanent owner will set us up for success. The club is in a really healthy position. That is why we are seeing strong interest in the club and are confident that the process that is being run, is on track."
KordaMentha partner Scott Langdon said a week after taking over the sale process: "The level of inbound inquiry has been significant from good-profile companies who have the financial capabilities and motivation to complete.
"We've had interest from people with local ties to the Newcastle community to Australians to the global stage so I don't think there is any shortage in buyers for the franchises."
A Primeland Group-led consortium, headed by Melbourne property tycoon Robert Brij and associate John Nekic, were unveiled as the new owners of Perth Glory on October 17, with formal completion of the deal scheduled to take place in early November.
The apparent sale to Primeland by Kordamentah, was the catalyst for the Jets to appoint the firm.
However, the Perth deal was terminated by KordaMentha after they said the Primeland consortium failed to "satisfy certain conditions precedent to the sale transaction".
The Herald understands that Primeland had previously expressed an interest in the Jets.
The announcement of the Glory sale followed American billionaire, Bill Foley, securing the licence for a new Auckland franchise to start in the 2024-25 season.
The Jets men sit in seventh position on five points after four rounds, from a win, two draws and a loss.
The A-League men's competition breaks this weekend for a FIFA international window.
The Jets women are in eighth spot on four points after four rounds.
They host Melbourne City at No.2 Sportsground on Sunday at 4pm.
