Former Port Vale owner reportedly has no interest in taking over at Scunthorpe United

BBC Radio Humberside says that former Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite has told them that he is not interested in purchasing Scunthorpe United.

Smurthwaite owned Port Vale from 2012 to 2019, initially in partnership with Paul Wildes and then as sole owner – and it was fair to say his reign was highly controversial. He was responsible for several ill-thought out remarks (such as accusing Vale fans of being too racist for him to appoint Jimmyfloyd Hasselbaink as manager) and a reign that was marked towards the end with fan protests against his ownership. Smurthwaite eventually sold the club to the Shanahans in 2019.

Scunthorpe appear to be in financial jeopardy. They were recently subject of a winding-up petition and owner Peter Swann is trying to sell the club. A takeover, from a local group, seemed close to completion last month, but is yet to go through and recent rumours suggested Smurthwaite may step in. However, these reports now appear to be wide of the mark.