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Daniel Levy 'holds Tottenham Hotspur takeover talks with numerous bidders'

Daniel Levy 'holds Tottenham takeover talks with numerous bidders'
© Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy holds talks with numerous potential investors over a possible takeover, according to a report.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly held takeover talks with numerous parties interested in buying the club.

Levy and owner Joe Lewis purchased their first stake in Tottenham from Lord Alan Sugar for £22m in 2000, and their shareholding has increased to over 86.6% over the past 23 years.

However, Levy is not the most popular figure among Spurs fans, who continue to protest against the 61-year-old's stewardship amid their lengthy trophy drought.

Not since the 2007-08 EFL Cup have the North London club won a piece of major silverware, and Levy has also come under fire for a lack of perceived financial support in the transfer market.

There has been little to suggest that Levy and silent owner Lewis - who operates from the Bahamas - are open to selling the club, but according to the Evening Standard, discussions have been held with possible investors.

Daniel Levy pictured in the Spurs stands on December 23, 2019© Reuters

A separate report from the Financial Times earlier this month stated that Iranian-American businessman Jahm Najafi was preparing to approach Spurs' owners with an offer of $3.75bn (£3.1bn) to buy the club outright.

Najafi would supposedly contribute 70% of the bid, with the other 30% coming from backers in the Gulf - including Abu Dhabi - and the offer would see £623m worth of debt added to Tottenham's books.

Najafi's bid would likely be rejected, but there is also said to be interest from Paris Saint-Germain's Qatari owners, who would be open to purchasing a minority stake in the club.

Levy and Lewis are understood to have met with several bidders over the past few months, and interested parties supposedly believe that the ENIC pair would be open to a deal.

However, Levy and Lewis are supposedly still unsure whether they would be willing to relinquish complete control of the club or only welcome new investors for a minority stake.

Tottenham Hotspur's Emerson Royal celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on February 19, 2023© Reuters

Spurs' current owners are said to be "fully committed" to the role, though, and the club have denied that the pair are open to a sale, so they could end up ignoring prospective takeover bids and staying put at the helm.

While all talks are at an exploratory stage, Levy and Qatar Sports Investments chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi - the president of PSG - allegedly met up to discuss possible investment opportunities, although Spurs have denied such claims.

Tottenham are not the only club to receive interest from Qatar, as Manchester United - who are also open to a full sale - received a bid from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani before Friday's deadline.

However, Sheikh Jassim's offer - which is for 100% of Man United - is not connected to QSI, and any takeover bid for Tottenham from Al-Khelaifi's division would therefore not be affected.

Tottenham rose into the top four of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday and are next in action at home to Chelsea next Sunday.

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Written by
Ben Knapton

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