But Ashley admits he is concerned by the England striker being linked with Manchester City.
“We’d love Michael Owen to stay,” Ashley told The Sun.
“Newcastle want him to stay but we have to look at what we can spend when other clubs like Man City do not.
“The guy at City is about 1,000 times wealthier than me. I haven’t got his kind of money.
“If Man City want Owen, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
