Mike Ashley's bid for struggling Elverys Sports

Mike Ashley, owner of Newcastle United football club and listed Sports Direct,

is said to have flown to Dublin over the weekend to avoid the sale of Elverys Sports to its management and other investors.

Ashley has a control vote as the owner of Sports Direct, which owns a 50 percent stake in Heatons, the Irish department store chain. Heatons wants to buy Elverys, which is close to finalising a deal, backed by the National Asset Management Agency (Nama), to be bought out by a consortium assembled by the advisory firm Capnua, reported the 'Irish Independent'.

Heatons is pushing to be allowed to formally make an offer, before the planned sale can go ahead.

Sports Direct/Heatons also feels it has been "locked out" of the process to buy the Irish sports chain, which is currently owned by the Mayo-based Staunton family and is being sold through a receiver, David Carson of Deloitte.

Accountants David Carson of Deloitte has been lined up to act as receiver, but that appointment has been delayed while negotiations go down to the wire. Sources close to the situation had expected a sale last Friday, or over the weekend, highlighted the 'Finacial Times'.