Ex-Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins has been named as the preferred bidder to take over at Newport County. The League Two club, which is currently fan-owned, has been considering two rival offers of investment over the last few weeks, with the other offer coming from a US-based consortium led by Dan Donoghue and current Newport director Jon Pratt.
However, the club have now confirmed that Jenkins is the preferred bidder. He will become the club's majority shareholder should his proposed takeover be rubber-stamped by fans at the upcoming supporters' trust general meeting on September 28.
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In a statement confirming the news, the club said: "The board of directors of Newport County AFC is pleased to announce that the preferred bidder to become the new majority shareholder of the football club is Huw Jenkins. The Newport County Supporters’ Trust members will vote on whether to accept the proposal made by Huw Jenkins at a special general meeting next week. Huw Jenkins will be present to address the trust members.
"We can confirm that the second bidder is a US-based consortium of Dan Donoghue and Jon Pratt. We are grateful to both bidders for coming forward and for the interest they have shown in our football club."
The Neath-born businessman took the Swans through four promotions and a League Cup win before he made the decision to step down as chairman in 2019, three years after selling the club to a US-based investment group. He was reportedly close to a takeover of Charlton Athletic back in 2020, and was also tipped to make a similar move for Blackpool the previous year. However, he seems poised to make a return to Welsh football by taking over at Rodney Parade.