By Saj Chowdhury

Ashley has repeatedly denied that he wants to sell

American investor InterMedia Partners has confirmed it was approached regarding a possible takeover of Newcastle United.

Reports this week suggested that representatives of club owner Mike Ashley met with counterparts from the New York-based private equity firm.

"InterMedia was approached about a deal, made no offer and has no interest," a spokesman told BBC Sport.

On Friday, Newcastle dismissed the claims as "absolute nonsense".

It is not known who made the approach to InterMedia.

606: DEBATE Should Mike Ashley keep his stake in Newcastle?

Ashley secured a �134.4m takeover of Newcastle last summer and has since ploughed around �100m into the club to address the debt situation he inherited and to strengthen the squad.

The owner of sports goods company Sports Direct International also brought back popular manager Kevin Keegan to St James' Park to replace Sam Allardyce.

New Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias hit out at the speculation, despite the revelations from InterMedia.

He said: "Whoever is putting these stories around is clearly trying to destabilise the club and you wonder what their motives are for doing this.

"By putting a new management structure in place this year, by investing in new signings at first team and academy level, and by introducing cheaper tickets for our younger fans, the long-term commitment and vision for Newcastle United is there for all to see.

"Those actions speak louder than any words and I'm sure supporters see these stories for what they are - utter nonsense."