Newport County owner Huw Jenkins has said that he will sell the club if a new investor were to complete a takeover.

Jenkins is looking for new investment into the the League Two club, but adds that he is open minded about his own future at Newport.

The former Swansea City chairman confirmed he has held talks with Welsh businessman Nicholas Beddis – the founder of financial technology and investment firm AGS Capital – but dismissed reports he is close to selling his 52% stake.

While Jenkins has had talks with interested parties, non have yet met conditions set by both the English Football League (EFL) and the new Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

“I don’t like wasting time or talk on nothing. Everyone who wants to get involved in the club has to pass the relevant tests, rather than me or the Supporters Trust judging people,” Jenkins said to BBC Sport Wales.

“Nobody has come forward with approval from the EFL and the IFR.

“Whether it’s Nick Beddis or anybody else, it’s important they keep things confidential and do their work behind the scenes if they want to get involved in our club.”

Jenkins bought a majority stake in the club in January 2024, having been previously under the control of the Newport County Supporters’ Trust.

He previously told a fans forum he will have invested £3m of his own money by the end of the last campaign.

The reality of the last two seasons for Newport under Jenkins’ control – finishing 20th and 22nd in League Two with two narrow escapes from regelation out of the football league – means that the Welsh businessman is assessing his options.

“I’m lucky, I’m open-minded either way,” he replied when asked whether he would prefer to sell up or stay on as part of a new ownership model.

“If it’s right for the club and somebody wants a full takeover and myself and the Trust feel that’s right, come and do it.

“If people want to become involved with the club, they want me to stay there and they think I can do a reasonable job by helping them, I’d stay.

“So we’ll see where it takes us and we’ll probably know more over the next few months.”

County train at the University of South Wales and pay about £1m a year – from a turnover of £4.5m – to rugby club Dragons who own Rodney Parade.

“Any deal with Newport County would be cheaper than most because of that,” said Jenkins.

“Assets can become liabilities quickly in football and the deal to get involved with Newport County is nowhere near the level of what would be involved in other clubs because of things like the stadium and training ground.”

On the pitch, the man that guided Newport to safety last season – Christian Fuchs – resigned last month, with Jenkins saying that the former Premier League winner told the chairman that he “didn’t have a lot to give.”

“Christian gave us his view that he wanted to step down, and I couldn’t change his mind,” said Jenkins, who’s now looking for his fourth boss in just over two years.

“He didn’t elaborate much to me, he just felt that, at this point in time, he didn’t have a lot to give us going forward.

“He felt last season in particular, those last few months, took a lot out of him.”

Jenkins said Fuchs, who lives in the north of England, had “many other things going on in his life”.

“He felt he wasn’t ready for the challenge ahead this season and that was it. It was more or less that,” he added.

“It’s an awkward one, really. He’s got his own views on why he wanted to step down, and you’ll have to speak to him, really, to get any more detail on that.

“As far as I was concerned, Christian made his feelings quite clear to me that he wasn’t in a position to carry on with us at Newport County, and I’m afraid when people do tell you those things you’ve just got to take it on the chin and move on.

“Driving home from meeting him last Saturday, from having a meal with him, my only thoughts at that time were ‘What do I do now?, ‘What are we going to do next?’

“We didn’t expect to be in this position. We didn’t want to be in this position. We’ve got to find the next [manager], as always. Fingers crossed we can find the right one in the next few weeks and get our season moving in the right direction.”

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